If You're Gone
by MotherTucker
Summary: ON HIATUS INDEFINITELY. Picks up just a few months after my other story Let Her Go. Not 100% necessary to read it first, but it'll fill in some Tuckson family backstory that I'm not rehashing here. Ed and Olivia decide to take the kids to Paris to celebrate their five-year anniversary as a family.
1. Chapter 1

"Liv, it's fine." Ed said with a hint of exasperation in his tone. "Come to bed."

He was sitting on the edge of the bed watching her skitter around the room looking in the two suitcases on the floor at one end of the room. She'd been reviewing the items they'd packed for over an hour.

"I just want to go over my list one more time," she said as she thumbed through the note on her phone. She'd made a list of everything they needed for their 10-day trip to Iceland and Paris a month before their departure date. She'd agonized over it and edited it dozens of times in the past few days and weeks.

"You packed everything," he said trying to sound supportive and not annoyed. "And anything you didn't pack, we can just buy when we get there."

Olivia stopped and looked at him. He just gave her a smirk telling her that he thought she was being ridiculous. She tried to believe him. It's not like they were going somewhere so remote that they couldn't simply buy a sweater for one of the kids if they forgot one or if was colder than they thought.

"Come on," he urged starting to get back out of bed to get her. "You need to get some sleep, so you won't be too exhausted tomorrow. It's a long day of flying and jet lag."

"You're right," she sighed and headed to plug her phone into it's charger. That made her think of the voltage adapter, so she headed over to Ed's carry-on bag.

"It's in there," he said not even trying to hide the mocking tone at this point. "Liv, it's almost midnight."

"Fine," she pouted. She went over and climbed into bed. "Sorry, it's just…it's the first time we've taken both the kids on such a long trip. It's a different country."

They were taking a family trip to Paris to celebrate their five-year family anniversary, and they had a stopover in Iceland. Ed and Olivia had celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary eight months earlier, but this November they'd celebrated five years with all of them officially together. Ed, Olivia, Noah and Nicole were a family.

Noah was old enough that he'd probably remember before Ed. Nicole wasn't. But early on in their marriage and family, Ed and Olivia decided they wanted their children to know they were chosen. In one way or another, they were chosen. So they opted for family day. They usually celebrated at Thanksgiving or between that holiday and Christmas. Because they'd gotten Nicole in early November and finalized Noah's adoption just before Christmas.

In planning a family trip. They'd talked about Thanksgiving, but that didn't give them much time. The kids were finally both old enough that they could enjoy it and make memories of a family trip. Ultimately they decided to take a repeat Paris trip, only this time for Christmas and with all four of them.

Currently, Olivia was stressing out about every single detail. Ed was trying to be supportive.

"Were you this way the first time we went to Paris the first time?" He asked, genuinely curious. He didn't remember her being wound so tight, but things had been a bit different then.

"Did I plan like a maniac? Yes." She answered and snuggled up next to him. "I just didn't let you see the full-on crazy back then."

"Good thing." He chuckled and wrapped his arm tightly around her. She gave him a playful swat on his chest before leaning up to give him a kiss.

"Sorry I get so anxious," she said and gave him another little peck. "I just want everything to be perfect for Noah and Nicole."

He gave her a small poke in the ribs.

"And you," she added with a laugh. "I want it to all go smoothly."

"It will," he assured. "And if it doesn't, we'll make the best of it."

"I know. I know."

"Remember that time we tried to do a romantic stay-cation right after Nicole's second birthday?" He asked with a smile.

"Ohh yes," she answered and laid her head back on his shoulder. She knew what he was trying to do.

He was distracting her from the current trip, so she'd fall asleep. Olivia appreciated the effort. She also hoped it was successful. She needed sleep.

"The hotel lost our reservation, and I thought the weekend was ruined." She recalled. "But then you went all Tucker-interrogation mode."

"I did not," he said in feigned protest.

"Oka-a-ay."

"Well, maybe a little of the old IAB came out."

"Just a little," she continued the tease. "But, boy did it work."

He laughed again. Then he rubbed her back and kept her talking about that crazy weekend.

It had been almost four years ago. Nicole had just turned two, and was still a relatively new addition to their family. It had been an easy transition for the most part, but they'd had their challenges growing from a family of three to one of four.

Ed had known that Olivia needed a break. He'd also known she wouldn't go too far from the kids, so he'd made the arrangements and surprised her with a two-night stay at a boutique hotel on the upper West Side.

When they'd arrived at the hotel, a sufficiently surprised and excited Olivia tried to hide her disappointment when the attendant told them she didn't have a record of their reservation. Ed remained calm as he firmly asserted that they did have a reservation. He showed her the confirmation email and everything.

Within minutes, the manager of the hotel was at the counter talking to Ed. Apparently it was some stupid computer glitch. The manager wanted to accommodate them, but the hotel was booked solid for the weekend. Ed refused to back down. He made a reservation and had a confirmation.

The manager offered to buy the couple a drink at the hotel lounge while he checked with some of their sister hotels in the city. Olivia, viewing the mistake as a bad omen, wanted to just call it a failed attempt and head home. Ed encouraged her to stick it out for the free drink at least. If they didn't like the hotel's offer, he'd just request a voucher for another weekend or something.

To their amazement, the manager came back with an offer they couldn't refuse. They did have a sister hotel with a vacancy, but it was way down in Soho. However, the hotel had already arranged for their limo to pick come transport them to the new location, and they'd have a luxury suite instead of just a regular room.

What was going to be just a couple nights in a hotel uptown and maybe a nice dinner or two, turned into a VIP retreat. The hotel staff went out of their way to make up for their mistake. Their new hotel had a spa, and they were given 50% off of a 90 minute couples massage.

Ed and Olivia reminisced for half an hour about their turn of fortune on that night several years ago. He finally felt her relax against him. His diversion tactic seemed to have worked, and she drifted off into a light slumber.

* * *

Ed sighed as he rolled over and felt the empty space next to him. He'd heard Olivia get out of bed a little while ago, but a check of the clock told him it was still before 7am.

Hearing the shower running, he decided to stay in bed until she finished. One of them should be well rested for the journey, he mused. Twenty minutes later he stirred again when she emerged from the bathroom.

"Hey," he mumbled, his voice full of sleep. "You're up early."

"I know you're not surprised." Olivia dropped her robe and started getting dressed. She'd set out her travel clothes the night before.

"Hardly," he said. Ed sat up and watched his wife. She pulled a black v-neck tee over her head and bent to grab a pari of grey pants. The grey and black sweater that would round out her ensemble was stilled laying over the back of the chair.

"Stop staring at my ass," she half scolded, half teased. "Get up and start getting ready."

"We don't have to be at the airport for at least a couple hours."

"I know," she said as she shimmied into her pants. "I don't want to be rushed."

"Okay, okay." he muttered. He climbed out of bed and headed over to kiss her good morning before heading to take a shower. By the time he reached her, she was buttoning her pants and already looking around the room to see what else needed to be done.

"Hey," she yelped as he slipped an arm around her from behind and planted a kiss on her neck.

"Good morning."

"Morning," she said quickly and tried to wriggle from his grasp.

"I said… good morning," he repeated and kissed her neck again. His grip was firm around her waist.

"Okay, good morning," she said and relaxed against him. He loosened his hold on her, and she spun around and gave him a proper kiss.

"That's better." Ed smiled at her.

"Now, go. Get ready." Olivia turned him and swatted his behind as he headed toward the bathroom laughing.

While Ed was in the shower, Nicole woke up. She was excited about the idea of flying on a huge airplane over the ocean. It was all Olivia could do to get her daughter to sit down for breakfast. Once she got the girl settled, she went to wake Noah.

By the time Ed emerged, dressed and ready for the day, both kids were finishing up their breakfast. Olivia poured Ed a cup of coffee when she saw him drop onto a chair at the breakfast bar.

"You eat anything?" Ed asked her.

"Not yet," she answered. "What do you want? We have cereal. And cereal."

"Hmm, decisions, decisions," he joked. They'd been trying to eat most of their perishable food over the last week and had resorted to take out the past two nights for dinner in an effort to clean out the refrigerator before their trip.

That made him recall the leftover lasagna from last night. He hopped off the barstool and went to retrieve the container from the fridge. He huffed when he found an empty shelf.

"Over here." Olivia laughed. She'd had the same idea. He gave her a little smirk as he walked over and took her fork. She'd already made a dent in the pasta, so she left him to it. She urged the kids to go get washed up and make sure they had everything they wanted in their little backpacks.

Olivia had researched online and planned their suitcases and carryons meticulously. Two average sized suitcases they could check with most of their clothes and toiletries. A roller bag for Ed with a change of clothes for each of them. A small backpack for Ed with his and Liv's flight essentials. A carry on with overnight essentials and oversized purse for Liv with all the crap she insisted they needed - scarves, wetnaps, collapsible water bottles. And then each kid had their own backpack with their headphones, lightweight jackets and blankie for Nicole.

Ed had teased her, but he was actually impressed with her thoughtfulness and planning. She took every precaution to make sure they had all they'd need to be comfortable on the flight.

"You're amazing," he told her as he scooped up a bite of lasagna.

"I thought I was crazed and over prepared?" She mocked.

"That too," he mumbled as he took another bite.

"Right…" Olivia rolled her eyes and left him to his breakfast.

They left for the airport slightly ahead of schedule, but Olivia had them all chomping at the bit to get on their way. It was a little stressful getting a family of four through international airport security, but they made it. Now they were seated in a row of chairs by their gate.

Ed looked at his watch and flashed her a cocky smile. They'd made it with 30 minutes to spare.

She smirked back. They'd made it with 30 minute to spare.

Both were convinced they'd won the point.

* * *

An hour later, they were situated in their seats and on their way to Reykjavik. Luckily, their aircraft was one that had two seats on either side and three in the middle. They were on the left side about half way down the aisle. Ed and Nicole sat in the pair of seats right in front of Olivia and Noah.

Olivia relaxed once they were in the air. They had a five hour flight to Iceland, two short nights there and then on to Paris for the rest of their trip.

They'd kept the kids up late last night and planned to keep them awake for the flight, so when they arrived in at 9pm Iceland time, the kids would be ready for quick dinner then bed.

So far the plan seemed to be working. After the flight attendants served lunch, Ed and Noah switched seats, so the kids could share one of the tablets and watch movies, and Ed and Liv could review their itinerary.

While he was trying to explain their brief arctic excursion, Olivia nudged Ed. He looked up at her confused. She nodded to the two kids sitting in front of them.

"I wanna watch Belle," Nicole whined. They'd taken Nicole and her friend to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway for her 5th birthday, and she'd fallen in love. When she discovered the movie a few months ago, she lost her mind. It was all she wanted to watch these days.

"Yeah, but if we watch Star Wars first, I'll give you the candy bar I snuck in my bag." Noah offered.

"If we watch Belle, I…I…" Nicole tried to find the bargaining chip. "I won't tell Mommy."

"You won't tell her what?" Noah asked. "That I gave you chocolate? Or that I didn't?"

"Umm." Nicole floundered. She didn't know the right answer.

"If you tell her I did, we both get in trouble." Noah explained. "If you tell her I didn't I get in trouble, and then I'll never watch Belle with you again."

"Humph." Nicole slouched in her seat, frustrated.

"But if you let me watch Star Wars, and I give you my chocolate, then we both win." Noah said triumphant.

Olivia wanted to intervene, but Ed stopped her. "Let them work it out."

"He's manipulating her."

"Yes."

"And you're okay with that?" She asked, incredulous.

"Of course not. Just wait," Ed said and nodded back to the kids.

"What if I still tell Mommy?" Nicole countered her brother's proposal.

"You'd turn yourself in just to get me in trouble?" Noah was shocked at his sister's determination to watch her stupid movie.

"I just wanna watch Belle." Nicole was so matter of fact in her delivery it scared Olivia. This kid was going to be a handful. Forever.

Noah was silent for a few minutes. Ed and Olivia were both interested in seeing how their kids worked this out.

"Well, this app says your stupid cartoon is only 89 minutes, and Star Wars is a lot more than that." Noah told his sister. "So how about, we watch your movie first, then mine."

"Okay!" Nicole answered, happy that she got her way. "And Belle is not stupid."

Ed and Olivia exchanged a satisfied, if slightly exasperated, look, while Noah tapped the screen to get to Nicole's movie. Before they could be too happy, Nicole took her headphones off and elbowed Noah.

"Does this mean I don't get the chocolate?"

"That's exactly what it means."

Olivia had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud at her daughter's disappointment. In the beginning she'd wanted to intervene in every little altercation, but Ed had convinced her to let some things play out. In some such things, she deferred to him. She'd grown up alone and didn't always understand the sibling dynamic the way he did. He'd had several siblings and cousins.

Ed just shook his head at his kids and at their mother's appraisal. The flight attendant interrupted the moment just as Noah and Nicole settled into their first movie.

"Would you like anything else Sir? Madam?" The woman asked with a heavy accent.

"We'll each have a glass of champagne." Ed said.

"Right away, sir." The flight attendant walked away to fill their order.

"Should we do that?" She asked as he lifted the armrest that separated them. "The site I read said that alcohol just dehydrates you and makes jet lag…"

He'd interrupted her words with a kiss. She smiled against his lips. He put a hand on her cheek and pulled her to him.

"Liv, relax." He said when he let her go. He dropped his hand to rest in the crook of her neck and ran his thumb over her check.

"Hmm, I know." She said, letting her head fall back on the seat's headrest but still facing at him.

Ed ran his hand from her cheek down to her shoulder and slipped his fingers just under the collar of her shirt. He kissed her jaw, then her neck. His other hand rested on her thigh. Olivia closed her eyes and sighed.

"I like it when you distract me," she whispered.

"Is that what I am?" he teased. "A distraction."

He kissed her again. This time with a little more intensity. His hand slid a bit higher on her thigh, and Olivia shifted. She couldn't believe they were making out on an airplane one row behind where their children sat. They'd dimmed the cabin lights, but it wasn't like they were invisible.

"Excuse me," the flight attendant said after she cleared her throat.

Olivia's eyes flew open and she pulled away from Ed. He laughed and took the both glasses of champagne. The attendant just smiled and left the couple alone.

Ed handed Olivia one of the glasses and gave her a little wink. She just rolled her eyes and clinked her glass to his.

"Happy familiversary." She said.

"That's a made up word." He said.

"Made up. By. Our. Son." She challenged.

"Okay, so it's kinda…" He started to agree but couldn't find the word.

"Sweet? Cute? Absolutely precious?"

"Something like that." Ed would never be as overly sentimental as Olivia had become since she became a wife and mother, but he understood.

They drank champagne and laughed as they looked through through their brief but full itinerary in Iceland. It was the perfect time of year to see the northern lights and some giant glaciers. It would be pretty cold, but worth it to have the experience.

Ed and Liv got lost in their planning and chatter and lost track of time. About an hour before they were due to land, the pilot came on the intercom.

"Ladies and gentleman, a small storm has popped up in our approach pattern. We don't expect any significant turbulence, but as a precaution, we're asking our flight attendants to prepare for landing now."

Ed and Noah switched seats again. Olivia was adamant that one parent be with one child during take off and landing.

They hit a few bumps. and Nicole whimpered a little. She wanted to be out of her seat and in her dad's lap. Ed calmly explained that she had to stay in her own seat with her seatbelt on.

Noah tried to be brave. He was scared, but he looked at his mom who gave a tight smile. He could tell by her expression that she was tense, but he could also see that she wasn't panicked. So he remained calm.

Ten minutes later, all hell broke loose. The plane was approaching the runway when suddenly they were violently jostled. The whole body of the plane pitched left. A few of the overhead bins busted open under the pressure, and bags fell into aisle and onto of some passengers. A woman screamed, and a couple people yelled in shock and fright.

Nicole just held tight to her daddy's hand and looked up at him. He could see the tremble in her bottom lip and knew that the tears were about to fall.

"Nicole," he said calmly and leaned down to her level. "It's okay. It's just some bumpy air."

She had her knees pulled up to her chest. She didn't say anything, but she did give him a sad little nod.

In the row behind them, Noah looked at his mom, and Olivia reached for him. She grabbed his forearm and told him they'd be fine. She reached her other hand up to Ed's shoulder. Anticipating his wife's anxiety, Ed reached up and grabbed her hand.

The plane violently lurched right, the wing tipped down. Olivia could see out the window. The plane seemed to be subject to some invisible storm. Noah grabbed her hand, snapping her out of her own fear.

"It's okay, Noah." She soothed. "It's going to be just fine."

Olivia felt Ed squeeze her hand. She could tell by the weight of his grip that he wasn't really worried. That calmed her slightly. She could also hear him soothing their daughter telling her everything was ok and that they'd be on the ground soon.

As the plane once again hit a fierce gust of air, she braced herself and prayed he was right.

…..

a/n Okay, we're off to a fluffy start. Next up Tuckson in Iceland because, why not? soooo... You like? Hate? What do you want to see our little family do?


	2. Chapter 2

_a/n:_ Sorry it's been 84 years since I updated this story. This is a bit of a slow start, but it's just the calm before the storm. I promise to make up for it in the next chapter - coming soon!

* * *

 _Olivia felt Ed squeeze her hand. She could tell by the weight of his grip that he wasn't really worried. That calmed her slightly. She could also hear him soothing their daughter telling her everything was ok and that they'd be on the ground soon._

 _As the plane once again hit a fierce gust of air, she braced herself and prayed he was right._

The plane teetered this way and that the whole way in. There was a patch of water just before the reached the runway. At times it looked like the wing might tip too far and hit the water.

Olivia had to keep a calm facade so Noah wouldn't freak out. Inside, she was freaking out. She couldn't remember ever being this scared on a plane.

"Daddy, are we gonna hit the water?" Olivia heard Nicole's small voice ask.

"No, baby. The runway is just ahead. We'll be on the ground soon." Ed said softly but assuredly. He patted her knee and she grabbed his hand with both of hers and tried to scoot as close to him as the seatbelt would allow.

Seconds later the runway came into sight. They were coming in fast in an attempt to counteract the rough air.

Without warning the plane hit the ground hard causing it to bounce several times before it smoothed out. A strong gust of wind forced the plane to the right far enough that one of the back wheels went into the grass. It was loud and bumpy. It seemed to go on for an eternity, but eventually the plane came to a screeching halt.

The captain came on the speaker. "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the rough landing, but welcome to Reykjavik."

Some people clapped. Others tried to compose themselves. Then, just like nothing had happened, the flight attendant came on and reminded everyone to remain seated with their seatbelt fastened until they got to the gate.

Moments later, the family of four gathered their belongings and deplaned with the rest of the anxious passengers. Olivia took Nicole to the restroom while Ed and Noah waited at the baggage claim carousel.

After they washed their hands, Nicole asked Olivia to carry her. "Honey, you're getting too big for Mommy to carry." Her actions didn't support her words, and Olivia groaned as she hoisted the girl onto her hip. Nicole was pretty petite for her age, but it was still an effort to carry her, especially after the adrenaline rush of that landing.

Nicole just laid her head on her mom's shoulder. Olivia ran her hand over her daughter's hair and gave her a pat on the back before heading back to find the guys at baggage claim. She found Ed and Noah surrounded by their carry on luggage.

Ed gave Liv a look when he saw her holding Nicole. She responded with a tilt of the head and mouthed to him that it was okay.

"We'll get the bags and be right back," Ed told her and nodded to a man in tan pants and a heavy wool coat. Apparently he was their driver.

"Agnar, ma'am," the man said and gave her a broad smile.

"Olivia," she answered. "Nice to meet you." The man turned and followed Ed toward the baggage carousel.

Olivia thought it was too extravagant to splurge on a driver, but Ed insisted. With two kids and all their luggage, he didn't want to try to navigate European taxis and public transportation. Once they got settled at a hotel, they could manage. He just wanted the trips to and from the airport handled.

When Liv realized the cost wasn't much more than they'd pay for a taxi or two, she'd relented. Now after the intense landing, she was even more thankful that they didn't have to try to deal with finding transportation.

Noah ambled around Liv and their carry on luggage while playing some new game on Ed's phone. Normally, they didn't let the kids have their phones, but for now it was an easier distraction.

Nicole just sat on Olivia's hip. She rested her chin on her mother's shoulder and watched the travelers wonder through the airport.

With amazing fortune, their bags came out fairly quickly. Ed and Agnar appeared with the two checked bags in tow. Luckily, their driver had the foresight to get a luggage cart. They followed him through the airport to a specially designated parking area that was luckily quite close to the baggage claim exit.

It was cold, but not any colder than it had been when they left New York. It took several minutes to get all of their luggage into the van and get the kids situated and belted in. Ed opted to sit up front with the driver so he could get a sense of their location in respect to the airport.

In less than an hour they were checked into their hotel near the Marina. Olivia was getting the kids out of the travel clothes and into something suitable for dinner. Luckily, their hotel had a 24-hour restaurant, so they didn't have to venture far.

The kids were feeling the day of travel, and although it was only just after 6pm New York time, it was after 10pm in Iceland. They hoped to get the kids fed and in bed by midnight local time.

Ed almost suggested that he just pick up some food and bring it up to the room, but he thought the kids could use a little more wearing out before getting them to bed. Liv dragged herself out of the room to follow her family. Her barely five hours of sleep the night before was quickly catching up to her.

Later that night, they were fed and trying to figure out sleeping arrangements. Since they were only staying for two short nights, they'd opted for a simple room with two double beds and a couch.

The plan was for Nicole to sleep on the couch and Noah to take the second bed. But now that it was bed time, Nicole was unhappy because the couch was in a separate section of the room, and she wanted to be closer to Mommy.

Liv thought about putting Noah with Ed. She could share the other bed with her daughter, but Ed shook his head at her when he realized her thinking. Nicole was a bit of flopper, so anyone who was stuck in a bed with her risked being hit and kicked throughout the night. Liv needed sleep. They all did.

"Noah," Ed started. "Can you just sleep on the couch tonight? Tomorrow we'll get a rollaway or figure out something else."

Noah huffed. He was the oldest and the tallest. He should get the bed. He would fit on the couch, but just barely.

"It's just one night, bud."

"Alright, Dad." Noah was tired, too.

"Thank you," Olivia said with relief and kissed Noah on the top of his head.

"Yeah, yeah," Noah said and pulled out of her grasp. She gave him a playful nudge.

Finally, they were all situated. Nicole was out almost the second her head hit the pillow. Noah made a bit of a show of tossing around trying to get comfortable, but he didn't last long either.

Ed and Liv dropped into their bed and tried to adjust to the close quarters. The double bed was significantly smaller than their California King. Not that they minded the closeness.

Olivia groaned lightly as she thought of the next two nights sharing such a small space. They'd looked at suites, but it just didn't make sense to splurge for a less than 48-hour stay over.

"We've got a lot more space in Paris, don't worry," Ed whispered. He kissed her temple and let her snuggle up next to him.

To Liv's amazement, he'd managed to find an entire townhouse on Airbnb. They couldn't have gotten a single room suite for the same price, and this would give them each their own room and make it easier on the kids. The place was slightly off the beaten path, but it was metro accessible and in what the website assured was a quiet, family-oriented neighborhood.

* * *

The night passed much too quickly for Olivia's taste, but everyone slept through the night and woke on their own. Ed made coffee for him and Liv while she showered. When she emerged, the kids were dressed and munching on pastries and yogurt. She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"They were hungry, so I went downstairs and got some snacks." Ed said.

"Snacks?" She challenged. "That looks like breakfast to me."

"There's plenty more," he teased and held up a second bag with his and hers. She looked past him to the coffee pot. He handed her the bag and went to get her a cup. Olivia was never going to be a morning person.

Freshly caffeinated, they wrapped up their morning, bundled up and headed out to their first excursion, whale watching. Ed had really wanted to visit a glacier cave, but Olivia knew that Nicole wouldn't be able to manage it. She offered to take Nicole to see the whales and let the boys go ice caving, but Ed insisted they stick together for their familversary trip.

They weren't on the boat for twenty minutes before Noah started looking a little green. He'd never been on a boat in the ocean before, so they had no way of knowing he'd get sea sick.

Olivia left the kids with Ed and went inside the boat's cabin to find the snack bar. It was supposed to be a three hour trip, so she needed to get Noah's nausea under control quickly.

"Can I help you?" The man behind the counter asked. His name tag said "Greg."

"Do you have ginger ale?" Olivia asked as she scanned the row of cans and bottles lined up as a sort of menu.

"No, ma'am." He said with a shake of his head. "We have ginger beer?"

"I don't think that will go over," she said with a frown. "I'll just take a Sprite."

"Someone's feeling queasy?" He pulled a can from the cooler behind him and offered her a cup which she waved off.

"My son," she said and grabbed a straw and a napkin from the counter. "He's ten"

"Give me a minute," the guy said as he took her bills and fished some change from the cash register. "I've got just the thing."

Olivia didn't know what he meant, so she just took the can of soda and headed back out to her crew. She was concerned to see Noah hunched forward with his head in hands and his elbows resting on his knees.

Ed gave her a look of uncertainty as she sat down and tried to coax Noah into drinking a few sips. He just shook his head and leaned into his mom's side.

A few minutes later, Greg, the waiter appeared. He was eyeing the other passengers trying to find Olivia. When he spotted her, he quickly approached.

"Hey buddy," he said and dropped to his knees in front of Noah. "The waves got you feeling bad?"

Ed looked to Olivia for an explanation, but she didn't have one. Noah just nodded at the guy.

"Let me see your hand," Greg asked. Noah looked at his mom for direction.

"Go ahead, sweetheart." She encouraged. She had no idea what this Greg was up to, but he was part of the crew.

Noah gave the guy his hand. Greg pulled off Noah's glove and pushed up his coat sleeve just a bit. He pulled a sea sickness band from his own pocket. A few minutes later, he'd put the band around Noah's wrist and helped him put his glove back on. Then he pulled a package of crackers from his other pocket.

"Try to eat these." When he saw Noah's aversion to the idea of food, he continued. "I know it doesn't feel like it, but it'll help to have some food in your stomach."

"Thank you," Olivia said. "Do those really work?"

"My sister swears by them," he answered. "The crackers really work the best though. I gotta get back to the snack bar, but let me know if you need anything else or if he needs to lie down."

"Thanks," Olivia called as he hurried away. She put her arm around Noah's shoulders and encouraged him to try to eat the crackers and rest a bit. She hoped that this crazy wristband actually helped.

The guide came over the boat's speaker system and resumed giving a nature and history lesson about the area they were in. Nicole sat in Ed's lap and pepper him with questions about whales.

Whether it was the crackers or the soda or the band, Noah perked up slightly. He said he still didn't feel great, but he no longer felt like he was going to throw up.

The rest of the trip went quickly. They were lucky to see several whales, porpoises and dolphins. The kids were enthralled by how big the whales were. Noah didn't manage standing at the railing very well, but he could still see from the bench where he and Olivia sat.

It was time for lunch when they got back to the dock. Everyone was hungry except for Noah who still wasn't quite over the boat ride. The wait staff were quite accommodating and brought Noah some plain noodles and ginger candies.

Originally, they'd planned to explore the downtown wharf area in the few hours they had before their next excursion, but Noah didn't seem to have it in him. Nicole was bored with the shops anyway, so they decided to take a brief respite at their hotel.

Noah ended up taking a little nap while Nicole watched a movie. Ed and Olivia sat in the matching chairs near the window that overlooked the wharf.

By the time Nicole's movie ended, Noah was awake. And he was hungry. Ed got him a sandwich from the hotel cafe.

They only had about an hour before they had to be at their next rendezvous, so Liv got the kids dressed in sweats and then snow pants and heavy coats.

Olivia wore a pair of fleece leggings beneath her jeans. She tucked them both into some waterproof boots. On top of that she wore a long sleeved black tee, a grey wool sweater. On top of that she had her black down stuff coat that went to her knees.

Ed was a little less concerned about the cold, but he still put on the pair of fleece-lined khaki pants that Olivia insisted he bring. Then a simple t-shirt, sweater and coat on top. Convinced they were ready, the quartet waddled to the elevator to meet their guide.

Moments later they were in a rugged jeep bounding out of town. It was almost an hour drive that took them out to a more rural area where they could see the Aurora Borealis without the light pollution of the city.

Their drive was early, leaving at 7:30pm local time. They had to hope for a clear night with an early show. Ed promised the driver guide a generous tip if they got to stay late enough to see the northern lights.

An hour later the Benson-Tuckers were camped out on a remote ridge in a large open tent in front of a campfire. Their guide, Josef, sat just outside stoking a small fire to make some hot chocolate and s'mores for the kids. Noah sat in a chair outside of the tent near the fire, and Nicole was hanging on him watching with excitement as the marshmallows started to scorch.

Ed and Olivia were sitting next to each other in a couple of portable chairs, their hands joined and resting on the arm of her chair. They were lost to the beauty of the night sky free of New York City lights. It was so clear out here. It felt like they were the only people on the planet.

"It's so beautiful, so peaceful," Liv said.

"Yeah." Ed answered by pulling her hand to his lips. After the chaos of the previous year, it felt so good to just be in a quiet place with his happy, healthy family. Instead of returning their hands to their previous position, he pulled them to his chest.

Olivia looked at him. She knew he was feeling contemplative. They'd had a rough summer and fall. She'd only been back on full duty for a couple months before their vacation.

His head lolled toward her knowing she was curious about his thoughts. "I'm just glad we're all here. Safe."

"I know," she answered. "Me too."

He let go of her hand long enough to reach over and grab the arm of her chair and pull it until it was flush with his. He snaked his arm around her shoulders. It took a minute to find a position that wasn't awkward with the chair arms in the way, but she managed to get her head on his shoulder. She was turned almost sideways in her own chair, but it didn't matter. She just wanted to be touching him.

"I'm…," Ed began, but then he didn't know how to convey what he was feeling, at least not to the depth he was feeling it. "I'm just so…"

"Content?" Liv offered. Then she moved to place a feather light kiss on his neck. She let her hand slide down his chest and let it rest on his abdomen.

"Mmm," he hummed. He rubbed her arm encouraging her to stay put as he used his chin to nudge her attention from his neck to his lips.

They were sharing a gentle kiss when the silence was interrupted by a sudden shriek followed by Noah yelling. Olivia snapped her attention to the kids and was on her feet in seconds.

"Nicole!" Noah almost shouted. "Get off me."

Nicole was sitting on the cold ground crying. Josef immediately stopped turning the marshmallows and dropped them to the little metal stand he'd set up. He hadn't seen the altercation, but he saw and heard Nicole's distress, so he scooped her up and met Olivia halfway.

"What happened?" Olivia asked as she took Nicole from Josef. Ed was right behind her and brushed Nicole's bangs off her forehead and back under her snow hat.

"Noah pushed me," Nicole said with a sniffle that let them know she wasn't really hurt, just upset by her brother's actions. Hearing that, Ed pulled away and walked over to Noah.

"Did you push her?" He asked trying to be neutral until her heard both sides, but feeling incensed. Noah knew better.

"She wouldn't leave me alone." Noah answered.

"Excuse me?" Ed said not believing what he was hearing. Not only was it an admission, it was one without remorse.

"I told her over and over to just stop hanging on me," Noah said. "She wouldn't back off so I shoved her back a little."

"You know better than that," Ed started. "You're bigger and stronger…"

"I didn't mean to make her fall," Noah interrupted. "But just because I'm older doesn't mean I have to let her be annoying."

Ed really didn't want to ruin he moment by ripping into his son, but his attitude was so lax about the whole incident. It bothered him.

Overhearing the exchange, Olivia intervened. "Nicole, were you pestering Noah?"

"I just wanted to see what he was doing," she whined.

"Did he ask you to give him some space?"

Nicole hung her head. Ed and Olivia felt that the kids had reached the age where they should begin to start working some things out on their own. Noah was older, so he bore a little more responsibility, but Nicole wasn't treated as blameless. She knew how to push her brother's buttons and get him in trouble when he finally snapped.

"I think you both need to apologize," Olivia said as she put Nicole down.

The siblings reluctantly said their sorries.

"Say what you're sorry for," Ed prompted.

"I'm sorry I pushed you," Noah said quietly.

"I'm sorry I wouldn't leave you alone when you asked," Nicole said even quieter.

Satisfied, Ed and Olivia turned their attention to Josef and the s'mores.

"Mom," Noah said as he stood and went to stand by her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make her fall down. Really."

"I know," she answered with a sigh and put her arm around his shoulder.

"So you forgive me?"

"Of course your forgiven. Your sister's already moved on." She said with a smile as she nodded to Ed showing Nicole how to turn roast a marshmallow.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Noah, of course I'm not mad at you." She answered quickly. "I don't like it when you and your sister fight, but that's what brothers and sisters do." She said and put her hand on his head like she would if she were ruffling his hair. Only his head was protected by a beanie and the hood of his coat.

"Okay," he answered tentatively.

"Come on," she said and stood up. "Let's go roast some marshmallows." She hugged him to her as they walked over to the fire pit.

Once Noah got the hang of it, he and Nicole went about roasting their marshmallows. Olivia dropped back when she felt Ed's hand on her shoulder.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, he's just sensitive to my feelings. He thought I was mad at him." She let Ed pull her into his side.

"He's a good kid." He squeezed her shoulder encouraging her to relax.

"He is," she answered. They both looked to their kids who were going about their business like nothing had happened.

"This is what siblings do," he said softly. "They fight. They get over it."

"Hmm," was her response.

"It'll probably get worse when he's a teenager, when she is. But someday, they'll grow up and be thankful for having each other."

"I hope you're right."

"Aren't I always?" he teased.

"Uh, sure," she laughed. "You just keep telling yourself that."

Josef interrupted with an announcement that it was more building time. The kids had pulled off their gloves earlier, so they dove into the graham crackers and chocolate bars. Josef had made a few s'mores that were now sufficiently cooled off for the kids. Ed helped Nicole blow out her flaming marshmallow and make a fresh one for Liv. Noah managed on his own.

Ed laughed as Olivia tried to eat the campfire delicacy without making a mess. She gave him a small smile as he reached over and wiped the dribble of chocolate that had landed on her chin.

They spent the next half hour eating s'mores, drinking hot cocoa and laughing as Josef told them crazy tales of vikings and icebergs. Then after the sun had set, his stories turned more scientific. He started talking about the sun's rays and the earth's magnetism.

Olivia marveled at their guide's ability to basically give a science lesson in a way that was interesting to her 11 year old and almost six year old. Even she and Ed were clued in.

Then they waited. The first was just a green wavy streak across the sky. It was almost gone before they saw it. But it didn't take long for the lights to ramp up. They were mostly green this time of night, but occasionally there'd be a flare of blue and purple. It was incredible.

Olivia tried to discretely wipe a tear from her eye, but Ed caught her.

"I just," she whispered. "It's… this is just so beautiful and so unreal."

"I know," he answered her by pulling her to him. It was a show of nature. While science might be able to explain it, it didn't make it less magical.

They got back to their hotel at almost 11pm. It was good. The kids could sleep in a little and get closer to Paris time which was another couple hours ahead of them. They had an easy morning in Reykjavik, then they planned to see a famous lagoon on the way back to the airport.

* * *

Olivia groaned when Ed nudged her to wake up. It had been a rough night. Nicole had nightmares about planes crashing and seemed to be really upset at the prospect of getting on another plane the next day. Olivia had finally just let her daughter climb into bed and snuggle in between her and Ed.

Apparently, at some point in the night, Ed had been edged out. When Nicole woke from her second nightmare, it was Olivia who bore the brunt of the kicks and screams. Ed was asleep in what had been Nicole's bed.

Even Noah woke up that go round. Ed coaxed him back to sleep, and Olivia finally managed to get Nicole settled down.

Sharing a bed with a five year old didn't make for great sleep. Nicole was floppy in her sleep, so Olivia never knew when she'd be startled awake by an arm in the face or a foot in the stomach. She mused that it was probably a tiny bit the way pregnant women felt in their final trimester. She'd never know, but she thought that maybe it was as close as she'd come to understanding.

"Come on, Liv." Ed pressed. "I made coffee. I'll pour you a cup if you'll get up."

Olivia rolled onto her back and slowly opened one eye. He just chuckled and went to get her morning dose of caffeine. She dragged herself from the bed and went to quickly brush her teeth.

A couple minutes later she padded over to the little makeshift kitchenette in the corner of the room. It was just a mini fridge with a microwave on top and then a coffee pot on top of that, but it served it's purpose. Coffee.

Ed smiled at his wife as he handed her a steaming cup of coffee. Her hair was mussed, her eyes not quite focused and he could smell the fresh scent of toothpaste. She closed her eyes as she took a sip.

"It's amazing that no one knows how much of a non-morning person you are," he teased. "Your squad, Melanie, the school, none of them knows the transformation that's about to take place."

She rolled her eyes and took another sip of coffee. "They pay me to show up and be professional."

He kissed her temple and left her to finish her coffee. Noah was already awake, fed and now getting dressed. Nicole was a little slower to get going and was sitting at the coffee table eating one of the blueberry muffins they'd picked up the night before. Olivia was surprised that she'd slept through everyone else getting up and going, but she still felt exhausted.

Half an hour later, Liv was showered and dressed, and Ed had repacked the rest of their bags. They had about 10 minutes before their driver came to retrieve them and a few hours before they had to be at the airport.

They had originally planned to just spend a lazy morning at the hotel with a quick lunch in the city, but their driver from the first day convinced them that they should take a few hours to visit the Blue Lagoon. It was about halfway between downtown Reykjavik and the airport. Since they had an afternoon flight, they could easily fit it in if they went early enough.

The kids were in awe of the warm water and the snow on the rocks beside them. They splurged a little and got a private lounge. With the kids, it was just easier to have their own space. They had time to let the kids explore the lagoon for an hour or so. They they ate lunch, showered and headed to the airport.

It was a lazy way to spend the afternoon, and it wore the kids out. Nicole had been sufficiently distracted by the swimming, but now that they were headed to the airport, her anxiety was coming back. She clung to Olivia through security and insisted on sitting in her lap in the terminal.

Ed shot her a worried look when they started making announcements for the flight, reminding people to have their passports and tickets. Part of him thought it would be best to wait until last to board, but another part of him thought it might be better to get on board quickly giving Nicole time to accept things.

Olivia just shrugged at him. She had the same uncertainty. The flight attendant was calling for pre-boarding and offering families with small children the option. Nicole and Noah didn't exactly qualify as "small children", maybe scared children was more like it. Noah took his cues from Ed and let his dad calm his nerves. Nicole just couldn't seem to forget the crazy landing they had a couple days earlier.

"Is it going to be bumpy again?" She asked her mommy as she looked to the counter and saw that people were starting to get on the plane.

"I hope not sweetie," Olivia answered. She didn't want to tell her daughter that they wouldn't experience any turbulence, but she didn't want to scare her either.

"Promise?" Nicole asked. She wasn't fooled by her mom's lack of assurance.

"Baby, I can't promise that their won't be any bumps," Olivia said quietly. "But mommy and daddy have flown on lots and lots of airplanes, and it's usually not so bumpy."

Nicole didn't look satisfied, but she didn't protest. Olivia nodded to Ed that he should see if they could board early. He nodded to Noah to stay put before making his way to the counter.

Olivia watched as Ed spoke to the attendant. When he gestured in their direction, Olivia tried to look hopeful as she rubbed Nicole's cheek. The woman at the counter gave a sympathetic look and nodded her agreement.

"Okay, guys," Olivia said scooting out of her seat. "Time to get on the plane."

Nicole just gripped her mommy's neck tighter. It made it a little difficult for Olivia to maneuver, but Ed was soon by her side. Noah seemed to get that he needed to help out, so he grabbed Nicole's bag and his own. Ed picked up his and Liv's and pulled their carryon roller board behind him.

"Are you okay with all that?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, let's just get on board," he answered. "You have the tickets and our passports, right?"

She nodded and reached into the outside pocket of the small bag hanging on her shoulder. She'd spent their time at the gate organizing them so that each person's ticket was in their passport on the page with their photo. When they got to the gate she just handed the stack of passports to the attendant and said a quiet thank you for the accommodation.

Nicole was almost choking Olivia she was holding on so tightly. When they got to their row, Ed motioned for Liv to sit as he stowed their luggage.

"Looks like you're with me, bud," he told Noah and ushered his son into his seat. This plane was smaller than the first, so it was just two seats on either side of one aisle. They had one whole row, so Ed and Noah sat on the right, and Liv sat with Nicole on the left. Ed and Liv were both on the aisle.

"Nicole, you can stay on mommy's lap until they finish boarding, but then you're going to have to sit in your own seat, okay?"

Olivia shot Ed a look when Nicole just buried her face in her mom's neck. She relaxed a little when she felt her daughter give a tiny nod. Noah still seemed somewhat unfazed by their earlier bad experience. He was watching out the window as the various crew loaded food, luggage and fuel onto the plane.

Ed dug around in his carry on and found one of their tablets. He tapped Liv's forearm with it. Maybe she could distract Nicole with a video. She didn't think it would work, but it might be worth a shot when she had to get Nicole into her own seat.

The flight attendant must have been informed that she had a nervous flyer on board because she came right over and offered a little gift bag to Nicole. It had crayons and a little coloring book about flying and a wings pin. Not wanting to leave Noah out but guessing he was too old for the whole kit, the attendant gave him a wink and handed him his own pair of wings. He thanked her and showed the wings to his dad.

The flight attendant had kneeled down next to them and ducked her head so she could see Nicole's face. "Can I pin the wings on your shirt?"

Nicole nodded and sat back a little. "My name is Adriana, what's yours?" The woman asked trying to distract the girl.

"Nicole," she answered with a small voice and she watched the woman pin the wings on her.

"What do you say?" Olivia prompted her daughter who still had her head on her shoulder.

"It's not going to be bumpy up there is it?" Nicole blurted out. Olivia started to scold her for not saying thank you, but the attendant shook her head.

Adriana laughed a little. "I hope not, but you know what?"

"What?"

"I fly on lots of planes every day and usually it's not bumpy."

Nicole seemed to consider the possibility that it would be okay.

Just then, the other passengers started boarding, so Adriana had to leave them. Nicole fingered the wings on her shirt, and Olivia said a silent prayer that it would be a smooth flight.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So sorry it's been so long since I've updated this story. But hopefully this little chapter will make up for it :)

Olivia sighed and rolled toward the middle of the bed. When she didn't find her husband's warm body, she opened her eyes. The clock on the nightstand read 2:57am. Just when she was about to get up and find him, she heard water running. _Bathroom._

They'd gotten to Paris about 6pm. By the time they'd gotten to their hotel and checked in, it was after seven, and the kids were hungry. They had a quick dinner at a simple cafe down the street, then got the kids back to the hotel for an early bedtime.

Liv wanted a shower even though they'd all had one at the Lagoon in Iceland. Ed finished unpacking their things while he was waiting on her. Then he had just enough time to sneak into the bathroom and leave her present on the counter and sneak back out before he heard her turn off the water.

She hadn't said a word when she came back into the bedroom, but she was wearing it. He'd left her a simple, short silk night gown that was midnight blue. They might have the kids with them, but he'd booked a two bedroom suite for a reason.

They hadn't been back to Paris since he took her right after MIke's funeral. He didn't want to waste the romance of the city.

Tonight, they were both so exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before and the travel, that they just climbed into bed and fell asleep. When he woke up a few hours later, he managed to slip out of bed without waking her. Now he was trying to tiptoe back in.

Olivia smiled to herself as she watched a shirtless Ed creep back into the room trying to be quiet. He had a glass of water in his hand and almost spilled it when he bumped into the edge of the chaise lounge. He muttered a curse under his breath, and she couldn't stop the light laugh from escaping her lips.

"You're awake?" He said quietly. "Coulda said something."

"It was more fun watching you try to be all quiet and stealthy," she teased.

He sat the glass of water on the nightstand and crawled onto the bed. "Stealthy, huh?"

Ed kept coming at her slowly, intentionally. He gently pushed her shoulder urging her onto her back. He sprawled over her torso and planted one hand on the opposite side of her head. He bowed over her and kissed his way across her collarbone.

"It's late," she whispered.

"I know," he mumbled as he trailed kisses up her neck. "Kids are out like a light."

"Ed," she began to protest.

"Olivia," he responded and scooted his lower half closer to her so she could feel how much he wanter her.

"Mmm…" she sighed. Then his mouth honed in on that one spot on her neck and any thought of protest left her mind. She didn't mind being tired tomorrow or being quiet now because the kids were a couple doors removed. She didn't care about anything as long as he kept doing that.

"What was that?" He asked just before he dragged his hand down her torso splaying his fingers across her stomach.

When Olivia didn't respond to his question, Ed slid his hand further down until he reached her upper thigh. She started to say something.

"I locked the door," he said anticipating her worry that one of the kids would wake up and interrupt something they weren't ready to explain. Then he slid his hand higher, his mouth still a searing heat against her neck.

"They could still wake up," she said. Her continued soft moans told him that she was just giving him shit.

"Not if you're quiet," he said and scraped his teeth lightly across her neck, eliciting a full groan.

"You're not playing fair," she breathed.

"Neither are you," he said as he started pulling again at the silk barrier between them. "Wearing this to bed, what did you expect?"

"You gave it to me," Olivia answered with a smirk that was just visible in the moonlight streaming through the window. She was almost annoyed at her inability to sound annoyed. But the combination of his mouth, his hands and his body pressed against hers was going to ensure she lost that battle.

A soft growl was his only verbal response. His physical response was more. He moved his body so that one of his thighs pushed between hers and his forearms were on either side of her shoulders.

His mouth. His fucking mouth. It was on her neck, back to her collarbone, then he was dipping his tongue across the top of her breasts. One of his hands resumed it's trail up her thigh underneath the silk gown. When he got to her hip and found it bare, he kept going.

"Fuck," Ed hissed when he realized she wasn't wearing underwear. He licked a trail across her chest and pushed his thigh into her core. If she was drowsily accepting his advances at first, now she was fully awake.

He bent his knee a little more and rubbed his thigh even harder against her. She gasped and scraped her teeth over his shoulder.

"Not that I'm complaining," she began. "But what has gotten into you?"

"I just need my wife," he answered as he used one hand to push the gown further up her body. He supported the weight of his upper body on his other arm that still laid near her head. He brushed the loose strands of hair off her forehead.

Olivia smiled a sultry smile, and he finally let the weight of his lower half rest fully on top of her as he leaned down for a kiss. There was something hungry and needy in his kiss that caused her to pull back and study him.

She reached up and ran her fingers over his temple, letting them stop and rest on his cheek. "You sure you're okay?" She asked, her voice breathy and slightly higher than usual.

He didn't answer with words. He just gave her a slight nod and moved in to kiss her again. It wasn't a fierce kiss, but it wasn't gentle either. It was demanding in a way that was almost desperate.

He ran his fingers through her hair and pushed his other hand up under the silk that still covered her body and just barely skimmed the underside of her breast. She slid her hand from his cheek to the back of his neck trying to shift beneath him and let him get the gown off of her.

Her movement caused his thigh to rub against her again. They both groaned at the contact.

"Liv," he rasped. "I just… I need you."

"Ed, baby," she said putting both hands on his jawline and looking directly in his eyes. "You have me."

She lifted her head to kiss him softly. She kept her hands in place and rubbed at his neck with her fingers. He let her open his mouth with hers and push her tongue through his lips. He almost lost it when she pulled him fully onto her and deepen the kiss even more.

She slipped one hand to the back of his neck holding him to her kiss and ran her other hand down his chest. The feel of her nails lightly scratching his skin caused him to buck his hips into hers.

He wrenched his mouth away and trailed kisses over her jaw and down her neck. When he got to the strap on her shoulder, he pulled back.

"This needs to come off," he said. He lifted off of her just enough that she could let him drag the once enticing, now offending, material up and over her head.

Tossing the garment to the side, Ed immediately turned his attention back to his wife. He ran his hands down the side of her torso and looked at her with such reverence it sent a shudder through her body.

His hands blazed a trail down her body to her waist, then her hips. She sighed and rubbed her calf against his Then she reached down and started pushing at his boxers.

"You too," she breathed.

He complied and helped her divest him of the last bit of clothing separating them. When they were finally off, he hovered over her.

Once again the look he gave her made her shiver. It was a heady combination of lust, love and need. Earlier she was a bit worried, but right now, she was just incredibly turned on.

Ed loved her. He always made sure to tell her and show her. Their sex life was diverse. They had moments of intense passion, slow and lazy, tender and loving, but it was rarely needy. And it was almost never needy from Ed's point of view.

When he showed her this level of vulnerability, the place inside him that needed her body to comfort whatever demon was plaguing him, she found it humbling. She also found it incredibly hot.

She reached up and grabbed the back of his neck pulling his face to hers. Instead of going for his lips, she brushed her mouth against his cheek.

"I need you, too." She whispered. She nibbled at his ear causing him to moan. His lips were against her hair. His hot breath hitting her in puffs.

He nudged the inside of her thigh with his knee, encouraging her to give him more room. As soon as she started to accommodate his request, he moved so that both of his legs were settled between hers.

"Liv, I…" Ed began. He almost choked on the words. He needed her right now. He couldn't even explain why the need was so intense. He pulled his head back, so he could look her in the eye.

She kissed him tenderly and ran one hand down his back, increasing the pressure the lower she got. When she reach his ass, she bent one knee and nudged her leg against his hip. He was pressed against her whole body, and it was only his left forearm on the bed that kept his full weight off of her.

Ed couldn't wait any longer. He pushed his hand into the small space between their bodies and trailed his fingers between her legs.

"Ed," she gasped, and her whole body trembled at the contact.

He repeated the movement, earning another shudder. He hesitated just a second. It wasn't a question of whether or not she was ready for him. He was trying to pace himself. Hold back his own body's aching demand. Focus on his beautiful wife who was gazing up at him with the expression of her own need evident in her eyes.

Olivia caught his hesitation. She wrapped her left leg around his and pushed her calf into the back of his thigh.

He kissed her lightly at first. But he deepened the kiss while he used his hand that was still caught between them to slowly guide himself into her. He felt her gasp into his kiss once his hips finally met hers.

At first, he didn't move. An almost overwhelming sense of completeness coursed through him. It wasn't until Olivia slightly shifted her hips prompting him to move.

At first, it was a long, languid rhythm that he set, pulling almost all the way out of her before slowly pushing back in. But it didn't take long before they were both desperate for more, and he quickened pace. He had one arm hooked under her with his hand on her shoulder for leverage, and his other hand was at her waist.

Olivia held onto his shoulder with one hand and fisted her other hand in the sheets as Ed propelled them both higher. Her left leg was now hitched high on his hip, and she could feel herself getting close.

He pulled his hand from her waist and hooked his arm under her left knee allowing him to drive even deeper. She cried out when he hit her g-spot. He didn't let up, but he did drop his forehead to hers and looked her in the eye.

"Liv, I love you so much," he said. Then he latched his lips to her neck and continued the onslaught.

"Me… too…" she managed to respond. "Ed."

He knew she was close. He honestly didn't know how he'd held on so long, but he wasn't going to last much longer.

A few more thrusts is all it took for either of them. Ed closed his mouth over hers in a kiss to keep both of their moans muffled. Then he moved to the side letting his forehead rest on the pillow next to her.

Olivia's body pulsed beneath him, her hot breath hitting his neck. She let out a small groan as he slowly unhooked her leg from his arm. He then grabbed her bicep and pulled her with him as he rolled off of her and onto his back.

She groaned again at the disturbance but soon settled back against his chest. She could hear his still pounding heart and deep steady breaths starting to even out. His fingers traced over her hip.

"I love you," she said quietly.

"I love you, too." he answered and kissed the top of her head. "We should get some sleep."

"Yeah, I hope the jet lag doesn't have the kids up at dawn." She joked started to move back to her own pillow.

"Mmm," he answered already starting to drift off, but his grip on her never let up.

Olivia smiled to herself and snuggled into him. As long as they'd been together, she still found this side of him surprising. Who knew that Ed Tucker was a cuddler?

* * *

Olivia woke to find herself once again alone in bed. She squinted at the sun that was now peeking through the crack in the curtains. Then she turned to look at the clock. It was just after 7am.

She sighed and tossed the covers off of her. Her body protested a little as she moved to get up. She was in good shape, but a night like last night still took it's toll.

She made her way to the bathroom where she brushed her teeth and splashed some cold water on her face. It was her guess that her husband's MIA status meant that the kids were awake. Grateful that he let her "sleep in", she found some leggings and a t-shirt and made her way to the common area of their suite.

"Hey, Mom," Noah muttered between bites of cereal.

"You're up," Ed said as he reached across the counter for a cup and poured her some coffee.

"You let me sleep in," she said as she rounded the small counter that made up the kitchenette area.

"I thought you might need some extra rest," he said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes at his ego. Then she kissed his cheek and took the coffee he offered.

"Thank you," she said before taking a sip of her coffee.

He put his arm around her shoulder. She closed her eyes and leaned into him.

"Where's Nicole?" Olivia asked when she finally opened her eyes and looked around the room.

"Still asleep," Noah answered.

"Huh, that's probably good," she said, more to herself than anyone else.

"Yeah, I figure we can give her another hour or so," Ed said. "But then we need to get moving."

Noah had finished his breakfast and was curiously flipping through channels on the television trying to find anything in English. "Do they have any real TV shows here?"

"Yeah," Ed answered with a laugh. "They're all real. They're just in french."

Noah shrugged and kept scrolling. Just as Olivia announced she was heading to take a quick shower, Nicole emerged from her room.

"Mommy?" The sleepy girl called out as she looked around the room trying to get her bearings.

"Morning, baby." Olivia answered.

"I'm hungry," Nicole announced.

"Okay, sweet girl. Daddy's gonna get you some breakfast while Mommy takes a shower," Olivia said with a hint of laughter in her voice.

Over the next 45 minutes, the family got themselves fed, showered, dressed and ready for the day. Ed had planned the first couple days to be leisurely explorations of kid-friendly places throughout the city. Then after they'd all had some time to adjust to the time change, they'd all head to Disneyland Paris for a full day.

Today, was going to be the aquarium and the Eiffel Tower with a few stops along the way for lunch and pastries. Noah and Nicole were chattering on about what kind of animals they were going to see at the aquarium while Olivia did one last check of their day pack to make sure she had everything they might need.

"We can always buy something if we need it," Ed said with a hint of impatience. "Let's just go."

"Okay, okay," she said and zipped up the bag.

"So, it's almost a mile to the aquarium," Ed said as they headed out the door of their hotel room. "You wanna walk or have the hotel get us a taxi?"

"Umm, how about a taxi?" She said and nudged him with her hip as they ushered the kids into the elevator.

He smirked, correctly assuming that she was still a little worn out from last night. She smacked his arm with the back of her hand.

"I don't want the kids to be exhausted before the day even begins," she explained.

"Right…," he teased. "Right."


	4. Chapter 4

a/n: here we go... Tuckson family in Paris.

"Can we please sleep in tomorrow?" Ed moaned as he fell into their hotel bed next to Olivia Tuesday night.

"Yes," she answered with a groan of her own. "I told the kids they can play with their tablets _with headphones_ if they wake up before us."

"I married a smart woman," he mumbled against her temple as he turned to give her a kiss.

"I married a smart man who knew not to make any plans for the day after Disney," she said.

Ed's next phrase was unintelligible. Olivia smiled and let herself begin to drift off as well. She was fairly confident the kids would have no trouble sleeping in.

They'd been going non-stop for four days. Their weekend had started a little slower to let them all acclimate to the time change and new city. But they'd still hit up several Christmas markets, the aquarium, the Eiffel Tower, the Luxembourg Gardens and more restaurants, cafes and coffee shops than they could count.

The big event had been Disneyland Paris on Monday and Tuesday. Ed rented a room at the Disneyland hotel for Monday night and two-day passes for them. It was a hectic, jam-packed schedule worth every minute.

They left early Monday morning and took the metro to Disney. They were there by 10am. Each child got to pick one special activity, and they took turns picking which area of the park to visit and which rides they wanted to ride.

Nicole got to experience a "Royal Invitation" to have tea with her three favorite princesses, Belle, Moana and Jasmine. She also got to sit on Santa's lap surrounded by a hoard of other Disney characters. The six year old was in heaven.

Noah picked the Star Wars experience which just happened to coincide almost perfectly with Nicole's tea party. Ed took Noah and Olivia took Nicole. Then they met up for an early dinner at one of the many restaurants in Disney Village.

They ended the evening with the special Christmas Parade and fireworks. The whole family was exhausted by the time they dragged into their hotel room for the evening.

It was just one night in the Disney hotel, so they had one large room with a similar set-up to their Iceland hotel - two beds and a fold out couch. Tonight it didn't matter, they all slept soundly.

Day two at Disney was more of the same. Rides, junk food, crazy shows. As insane as the whirlwind was, Ed and Olivia often found themselves smiling at each other over the tops of the kids' heads. It was something special to experience Disneyland through the eyes of their children.

In hindsight, they probably should have sprung for a second night at the Disney hotel instead of heading back so late, but they didn't. So they'd taken the 45 minute metro ride back to their original hotel in Paris at 8pm. Meaning Ed had to carry a half-asleep Nicole from the metro stop to the hotel, and Noah whined the whole walk.

Olivia didn't even try to suggest baths for the kids, she just let them fall into their beds. She and Ed each took a quick shower, but she didn't even bother to wash her hair.

Wednesday was to be their laziest day of the whole trip. Sleep in, late breakfast, a little time on the Champs Élysées which had it's own Christmas market, and then a quiet dinner at their hotel. They had several more activities planned for the latter part of the week, and they wanted the kids to have a recovery day that was mostly unscheduled.

* * *

Their morning started as planned. Nicole, who'd slept a little on the train the night before, was awake first just before 8am. She very quietly retrieved the tablet and headphones Olivia had sat out for her and searched for her favorite cartoon in the video app. Since Olivia didn't think it was healthy for the kids to have unlimited tablet/TV time, it was rare to have an unknown amount of time to herself. Nicole took full advantage.

It was less than half an hour later that Ed was up. He checked in on the kids. Finding Nicole awake he asked if she wanted breakfast or if she wanted to wait until the rest of the family was awake. She just nodded, so Ed assumed that meant she wanted to wait.

It was 9am when Olivia finally stirred. Ed had checked in on her a few minutes earlier, so the door to their room was slightly cracked. She could hear her boys having a slightly terse conversation Noah was out of bed trying to convince his dad that he didn't need to take a shower.

"Noah, it'll take five minutes," Ed said. "Just. Go. Take. A. Shower." His voice wasn't angry, but it was firm. Noah knew better than to keep arguing.

Olivia shook her head with a small smile as she heard the water turn on in the bathroom in the other room. She pulled on the robe provided by the hotel and went in search of coffee.

Hearing his wife rustling around, Ed grabbed a cup and poured her some coffee. He topped off his own cup and carried them both toward their room.

"Bless you," she cooed when he met her at the door with her coffee.

"Figured you'd need it," he answered and gave her a quick kiss. He watched her face as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the morning ritual of the first sip of coffee.

"Is Nicole awake?" She asked before nudging him to turn around and head back out into the main area of the hotel room.

"She was up before me," he said as he followed her. "She wanted to wait until everyone else was up to have breakfast."

"Do you want to go out, or just manage with what we have here?" She whispered as she peeked into Nicole's room and saw her daughter playing on her tablet.

"Here?" He answered. Before he could ask if that was okay, she turned and nodded. Then she kissed him again.

"Hmm, what was that for?"

"I need a reason?" She teased.

"Never," he laughed and leaned in for another slightly longer kiss. With his free hand, he grabbed the lapel of her robe and let the back of his fingers brush across her upper chest.

"Don't start something we can't finish," she warned.

"Fine," he whined as he pulled away with an exaggerated pout.

"You wanna start breakfast or rouse the princess?" She asked.

"I'll take breakfast," he answered with a smirk.

"Coward," she teased. She poked him in the ribs before turning to head into Nicole's room.

Ed found that Noah had finished his shower and gotten dressed. He was now watching TV in the sitting area. They chatted briefly about breakfast and plans for day.

"Morning, baby," Olivia called as she pushed Nicole's door open a little more.

"Hi mommy," Nicole said, pulling the headphones off of one ear and tapping the screen to pause the video.

"You about ready for breakfast?"

"Can I finish this movie?" Nicole called everything a movie these days, so Olivia wasn't sure if her daughter was watching a little show or a full blown movie.

"Depends," Olivia said as she rounded the bed to see what was on the screen.

"It's almost over."

Seeing that it was just a little short cartoon that only had a few minutes of playtime left, Olivia agreed. "But when this one is finished, don't start another one. I'm going to start a bath for you."

"A bath, now?" It was pretty unusual for her to have a bath in the morning.

"Yeah, we were all to sleepy last night, so we're going to take a quick bath this morning."

"Do I have to wash my hair?"

Olivia fan her fingers through her daughter's wavy blond hair. It didn't seem too bad, and it would save them considerable time and arguing if they skipped it. "I guess not."

"Okay," Nicole said and immediately went back to her show.

By 9:45, Nicole was bathed and dressed and the whole family was sitting at the little table near the window eating breakfast. It was very simple. Just cereal for the kids and Ed and some yogurt and granola for Liv.

All in all, it was a nice morning. They talked about the day and planned to head over to the holiday market on the Champs Élysées. They planned to pick out some Christmas decorations, so they could spruce up their room and make it feel a little more festive. Noah really wanted a tree. He complained that it felt weird to celebrate in a hotel, but that it would feel more like home if they had a tree.

The kids had no idea that Ed and Olivia had brought their stockings and a couple of special ornaments from home. Ed hoped they could find a small tree to put up in the room, but he didn't know how likely that would be.

* * *

It was 11:30 before they even got out the door of their hotel, but no one seemed to mind. It was nice to have a lazy morning in the middle of their vacation. A little recharge before they amped back up in the few remaining days leading up to Christmas.

Thankfully, the weather was cooperating today. For December in Paris, it was decidedly mild and sunny. They all left their heavy winter coats in the hotel room. Nicole wore a little pink sweater dress with cream leggings and pink Uggs. Noah wore jeans and a light green sweater with a white Mets t-shirt underneath.

Olivia had stuffed a couple of lightweight windbreakers for the kids into the backpack Ed carried, just in case. But it looked to be a perfect day.

Since they'd spent the previous two days walking all over Disney resorts, they opted to take the metro even though they weren't that far from their destination, only four stops. It would still be easier on all of them.

The train seemed unusually crowded as Ed ushered his family to spot near one side. There weren't any open seats, so they had to stand.

"Noah, hold the rail," Ed prompted his son, nodding toward the rail that ran down the side of the metro car.

Olivia grabbed the same rail and stood behind Noah. Ed looked up and took hold of the grip above his head with one hand and moved Nicole to stand in front of him. She was able to hold on to the same rail that Olivia and Noah were holding.

Nicole stumbled back into Ed's legs when the train lurched forward, but she just giggled and quickly righted herself. Noah was asking Olivia about the Christmas tree again, but it was so noisy in the car that Ed couldn't make out the answer she gave him.

At the first stop, it seemed that no one got off the train but even more piled on. The Tuckers were pressed into a tight little space, but they managed.

At the second stop, the crowd thinned considerably which opened up a seat just behind Olivia. Ed nodded to her that she should grab it. It was a bench seat that could easily hold both kids, but that was about it.

Noah immediately seized on the opportunity. Ed hurried Nicole over to join him and then stepped behind Olivia who'd now turned so she could keep an eye on the kids. The doors to the metro closed, and they were off once again.

At the third station, it seemed that all of Paris was trying to get onto this train. The kids were fine in their shared seat, but Olivia could see them jostling each other in a fight for space.

"Noah," she warned. "One more stop, just be nice to your sister for one more stop."

They were good kids. They fought occasionally, as all siblings do, but they mostly got along. Olivia knew it wasn't too much to ask for them to sit next to each other for a couple minutes between stations. Noah rolled his eyes, but quit agitating Nicole.

Ed just laughed in Olivia's ear. "It's always something, isn't it?"

"Yeah," she mused.

The train was once again very crowded. Of course Ed and Olivia had no idea that they were on one of the busiest sections of the metro.

"Okay, you two," Olivia prompted her kids. "This next stop is ours, so when we get there, I want you to stay close to me and Daddy, okay?"

"Okay," Noah muttered.

"Nicole, you hold my hand when we get there," Olivia continued.

Just then, the train stopped.

"Let's go," Ed said.

There was a tangle of people trying to get out while others pushed their way onto the train. Ed tried to use his body to create some space for Olivia who was reaching for the kids. Noah and Nicole scrambled from their seats to follow their parents' lead.

"Come on, guys," Olivia said quickly. They'd been sitting on the opposite side of where the doors opened, so it was taking some effort to navigate their way.

The first chime sounded and an announcer came on.

Olivia knew they were announcing that the doors were closing. Ed was already at the door, so she reached around the kids to get them out the door. She didn't have Nicole's hand, but she had a hold of her shoulder. Noah was right beside them.

Just then, a man with a rolling suitcase pushed past Ed in a rush to get on the train. The commotion forced Ed onto the platform.

The man barely muttered an apology, in English, before he practically ran through Olivia and the kids with his suitcase. The movement caused Olivia to stumble toward Ed. He caught her arm and kept her from falling.

Unfortunately, it also made Olivia lose her hold on Nicole who was shoved in the opposite direction back into the train. Nicole fell back on her bottom right at Noah's feet.

"Mommy?" The girl cried.

"Watch it," Olivia yelled.

They guy just kept shoving his way onto the train.

The chime sounded again.

"Nicole," Ed said. "Come on." He pushed Olivia back toward the train so she could get Nicole's hand, but it was too late. The doors were starting to close.

"Mommy!" Nicole cried again, this time tears were starting to fall.

"Nicole! Noah!" Ed shouted as he moved past Olivia and tried to stop the doors from closing. He wedged his shoulder against them, and they reopened slightly. But the action caused him to lose his balance. He tried to recover, but that just caused him to lose his place in the door.

"Dad!" Noah said in fright as the doors closed completely.

"Ed," Olivia said, the panic evident in her voice.

"No, no!" Ed yelled as he pounded his open hand on the door. "Open the door!" He looked frantically up and down the train to try to figure out where the conductor might be.

"Stop!" Olivia screamed as the train started to move. She could see Noah through the window of the train car, but she couldn't see Nicole who was presumably still sitting in the spot where she'd fallen. She could hear Noah shouting at them.

"Get off at the next stop, and go to the ticket counter!" Ed shouted to his son as the metro car pulled away.

to be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

" _Stop!" Olivia screamed as the train started to move. She could see Noah through the window of the train car, but she couldn't see Nicole who was presumably still sitting in the spot where she'd fallen. She could hear Noah shouting at them._

" _Get off at the next stop, and go to the ticket counter!" Ed shouted to his son as the metro car pulled away._

"Ed!" Olivia cried. Her stomach hit the floor, her mind was reeling.

He looked at his wife. She was starting to panic.

"Olivia," he said, grabbing her shoulders. "One of us should wait here and catch the next train, and one of us should stay here and find security."

They both took a deep breath.

"You're right," she said, but she was briefly frozen. She was too distracted by the fact that her 11 year old son and six year old daughter were alone on a very crowded Parisian metro car. Ed had told them to get off at the next stop, but what if they didn't hear him? What if they couldn't? What if they got separated?

"Liv?" Ed interrupted her spiraling thoughts by tightening his grip on her shoulders. They looked each other in the eye and a moment passed between them. They were both scared. They were both pulsing with adrenaline. They were both capable of handling this situation.

"I'll stay and catch the next train, you talk to security," Olivia said, pulling it together.

"Okay," he answered. "You have your cell?"

"Yeah," she said as she patted her pocket to make sure.

"Let's check in, 15 minutes," he suggested. Neither wanted to separate, but they didn't want to risk not being there. The kids knew their final destination because they'd spent breakfast laughing over trying to teach them how to pronounce Champs Élysées. But what if they tried to come back here? What if they found security at the next stop?

There were too many variables. But it couldn't be more than ten minutes to the next stop, so if the kids were able to get off the train, Olivia would catch up with them in 20-30 minutes.

As much as it pained them, Ed and Olivia parted. Ed ran to the ticket counter, and asked for the police or security or someone who spoke English. Olivia nervously waited on the platform for the next train. If she was reading the sign correctly, it would be less than 7 minutes.

Olivia fidgeted as she waited. She looked back in the direction Ed had run, but she could no longer see him. She thumbed her phone in her pocket as she craned her neck to look down the track.

None of it mattered. Her babies were alone on a metro train in a foreign country. They were scared and alone.

The minutes seemed to drag. Olivia checked her phone every few seconds. Nothing.

* * *

"Noah!" Nicole said through tears still sitting at his feet where she'd fallen. "What are we gonna do?"

Noah took his sister's hand and pulled her up off the floor of the metro car. The mass of people had thinned a little, so they were left mostly alone. No one seemed to have noticed the commotion or their predicament, or if they did, they weren't offering any help.

"It's okay Nic," he said. "Dad said to get off at the next stop and go to the ticket counter."

She sniffled and let him guide her to an open seat near the door.

"We'll just go there and tell them what happened," Noah said with more confidence than he felt. "Then mom and dad will catch the next train and meet us there."

"Really?" Nicole asked.

"Yeah," Noah was trying to act like he wasn't scared because he didn't want his sister to get more upset. He knew that he had to think clearly. He was the big brother. He had to get them out of this.

Nicole believed him. She was still scared. But if Daddy told them to go to the ticket booth, she'd trust Noah to get them there. He was older. He knew what to do.

An announcement came over the loudspeaker in French. Noah didn't understand it, but he guessed that it meant they were nearing their stop. He'd ridden the subway in New York tons of times, so he knew how it worked. He knew he could get off the train, but after all the commotion at the last stop, he was desperately worried about keeping hold of his sister throughout the process.

"We should get ready to get off," he said and grabbed Nicole's hand. "Do not let go of my hand."

"I won't," Nicole promised. The train shook as the conductor started pumping the breaks.

"We're going to get off the train, okay?" Noah said.

"Noah," she said with a shaky voice. "I'm scared."

"I know," he said. "But we have to do what Dad said."

She nodded, but Noah could see that she was still not sure.

"I'm not going to let go of you Nic," he said quickly. "We're going to be fine. Mom and Dad will get the next train and be right there."

She was clinging to his hand, but she calmed a little.

"We're going to be just fine," Noah whispered again, mostly to himself.

The train slowed as it rounded the final curve leading to the next stop.. The siblings looked at each other and braced themselves for the next step, getting off the train.

* * *

Ed had shoved his way through the crowd and found the ticket counter. He and Liv had practiced a few phrases of French before the trip. Olivia took to it naturally and could manage quite well. Ed barely remembered how to order a beer.

In this moment, however, he remembered how to ask if the ticket clerk spoke English. She didn't. He didn't know what else to do so he just told her "emergency" and "police" over and over until she said something that made him think she was calling security or something helpful.

Within minutes a security guard was there. Thankfully, he spoke some English, and Ed was able to explain what had happened. The guard spoke to the ticket clerk in French and told her to notify the next station of the situation, so they'd be on the look out.

"Sir, we notified the next station," the man said. "You say your wife is on the next train?"

"Yes," Ed answered. "My wife waited to catch the next train."

"Okay, we hope your kids are able to get off at the next stop, and it will be okay," the guard said. "I instructed the attendant to notify the police. I also have put it out on the radio, so the conductors will know to be on the look out for two lost children."

Ed knew the guard had done all that he could and notified anyone who might be able to help. It didn't make him feel less helpless at this moment. All he could do was wait. Wait for the kids to hopefully make it off the train at the next stop. Wait for Olivia to get the next train. Wait for a security guard or police officer or good samaritan to help the kids.

* * *

Olivia was at the edge of sanity by the time the next train arrived. The platform was crowded and she was nudged and shoved as everyone tried to navigate the on/off traffic pattern.

As soon as the doors to the car opened, she rushed onboard. She didn't care that it was rude to not wait for the exiting passengers. She had one goal in mind, and only one.

Get to her children.

That was it. That was all that mattered.

Once the doors closed and she had a minute, Olivia pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Ed. She wanted to let him know she was on the train.

She got an immediate response. She was relieved to learn that Ed had already made contact with security. The station ahead was aware of the situation, and their people would be on the look out for two American children on their own.

Olivia kept repeating to herself that it would be okay. It was dramatic, but it would be okay. The kids would get off at the next stop. They would find them. They had to. She couldn't let herself think of any other scenario.

* * *

The train started to slow even more, so Noah knew they were getting close to the stop. The metro car was so crowded, and he was worried about getting off the train with his sister. But he'd promised himself that he'd listen to his dad and get them to the ticket counter.

Just then a dark haired woman approached them and knelt down to their level.

"Excuse me," she said with a heavy accent. "I saw you were separated from your parents."

"Yeah," Nicole sniffled. "We got stuck on here, and they're back there."

Noah eyed the woman with suspicion as the train continued to slow. His parents always taught him not to talk to strangers, but part of him was relieved. He had to find an adult who could help them, one who spoke English.

"I saw you got separated from your parents, but I couldn't get over here until now," the woman said and patted Nicole's knee.

"We need to get off at this stop," Noah said, starting to stand up.

"My name is Amelia," the woman said. "What are your names?"

"I'm Nicole, and that's Noah."

"Nic," Noah warned.

"It's okay, Noah," Amelia said sweetly. "I work for the metro. I can help you get off the train and back to your parents."

Amelia smiled and took Nicole's hand in hers. Nicole seemed to warm up to the lady pretty quickly. Noah was still not sure.

"If you work for the metro, why don't you have a uniform?" He asked.

"Well, Noah," she repeated the boy's name to try and connect. "Today is my day off, so I'm just out doing a little shopping."

Noah cocked his head. Nicole looked at him. She knew he was doing what their parents said they should, but this lady seemed nice. And she said she could help them get off the train.

"Would you like to see my metro ID badge?" She offered.

He nodded as the train pulled to a stop.

"Let's get you off this train," she said standing up. "I'll show you my ID, and we'll go find your parents."

"Okay," Noah said feeling a little better. They had to get off the train one way or another, so if this woman could help them with that, he guessed it'd be alright. "My dad said to go to the ticket counter."

The woman scooped Nicole out of her seat and to her hip. Nicole was a little startled by the action, but she wanted off the train and didn't protest.

Amelia slung her bag over her other shoulder and reached for Noah's hand. "Come on, let's go find the ticket counter and your parents."

He took her hand, and they rushed off of the train. Most of the people seemed to be heading to the left, but Amelia led them to the right.

"The ticket stand is this way," she explained as she walked them quickly down a passageway that rounded a corner just ahead.

"You said I could see your ID," Noah said as they hurried along.

"You are a smart kid, Noah," Amelia said as she led them forward but toward the edge of the crowd. "It is good that you are so careful."

Noah stopped. "I need to see your ID." He thought the woman seemed nice, but his parents always told him to never go with a stranger who claimed to be someone in authority unless they had a real badge.

As they rounded the corner, the woman slowed. She sat Nicole down beside her brother and pulled her bag in front of her. Within seconds, she produced a clip badge that had her picture and the metro logo. Everything else was in French, so Noah didn't know what it said. But it looked official.

"See, I work for the metro," she said and put her hand on Noah's shoulder. Then she pointed toward the end of the corridor. "And there's the ticket counter."

Noah followed her direction and saw a kiosk at the end of the hall. Beyond it were turnstiles and stairs heading to the street level, just like home.

Amelia offered them each a hand and led them in that direction. Noah wouldn't feel completely okay until he was back with his parents, but he was relieved when he saw the woman's ID and the ticket counter.

* * *

Ed tried to be patient while he essentially had to stand around and wait. The guard, Dubois, was immediately sympathetic. Apparently he had kids of his own. It just so happened that the guy had also served in the UN while he was a French soldier, so he'd worked alongside many Americans. He knew English and was inclined to help.

Ed and the young guard spoke briefly. Ed showed the French officer several pictures of his kids and explained that Olivia had gotten on the train and was heading to the next stop.

"Monsieur Tucker," Dubois said. "I'm sure your children will be just fine. You said your son is 11 years old?"

"Yeah, Noah's 11," Ed said only half paying attention to the conversation. "He's a smart kid. He knows what to do. Find an adult in charge, a policeman or guard. He knows what to do."

Ed was talking mostly to himself. Assuring himself that he and Liv had raised smart, capable children. They'd be fine.

Dubois looked at the American with sympathy. He had three small children of his own, and he couldn't imagine how frightening it would be if they were separated on the subway in New York City.

"You say they don't speak or read French?" he asked.

"Not really," Ed replied shaking his head in frustration. "We taught them a few basics, please and thank you, hello and goodbye, how to say help and stop."

"It's okay," Dubois said. "Many Parisians speak English, so your children should not have to worry about that."

"Yeah," Ed said in defeat. At first he appreciated the distraction of the conversation, but now he just wanted to hear from Olivia. It had been 20 minutes since the kids had gotten stuck on the departing train. She'd texted that she got on the train, but that was the last he'd heard from her.

* * *

As the train pulled to a stop, Olivia quickly realized that the doors were going to open on the opposite side from where she was standing. She pushed her way forward.

The last station had been an exchange between metro lines. This one was solo, so there weren't quite as many people. It was still really crowded.

Olivia finally made it off the train car and frantically looked around for any sign of her children or a ticket counter. Anything or anyone that might be helpful. The crowd poured to the left, and she saw a large exit sign.

She assumed the kids would have followed the crowd, and that there would be some kind of ticket counter at the entrance. Part of her wanted to just started yelling her kids' names, but that probably wouldn't be the best course of action. Instead she headed toward the exit, keeping her eyes peeled for the kids or any activity that might suggest they were here.

The station itself cleared out pretty quickly once the train took off. More travelers were coming in, but not nearly as many as had exited. It was soon obvious that if the kids weren't in the immediate area.

When Olivia got to the exit, she saw the booth. Her heart fell.

No kids. There was an elderly gentleman talking to the attendant, and a young couple were groping each other while waiting their turn. She spun around to see if there was another counter on the other side. There was, but it was closed.

Unconcerned about politeness, Olivia approached the ticket window and nudged the grey haired man. "Pardon, aidez moi. S'il vous plâit."

The woman behind the counter said something in French that Olivia couldn't make out, but the gesture to the man next to her suggested that she'd been told to wait her turn.

"Please," Olivia begged. "Parlez anglais?"

The man mumbled something about rude Americans, but when Olivia looked at him, he saw her panic. His eyes softened a little.

"Yes, I speak English," the attendant answered with a slight roll of her eyes. "You need to wait your turn."

"It's my kids," Olivia said ignoring the directive. "We got separated on the train. I need security or the police. Please."

"Oh no, Madam," the man said with a British accent. "Please," he stepped back and motioned for Olivia to go ahead.

The Brit stayed close by and listened in as Olivia described what had happened. He'd come into the station just as the previous train was unloading. He hadn't noticed two lost American children, and he was pretty sure that would have stood out.

The clerk told Olivia that no children had been to her booth and then started asking questions. Once she had enough information, the attendant called security and the police.

Olivia chewed her thumb and leaned against the counter while the woman made the calls. Then she remembered she needed to text Ed with another update. She didn't know what to tell him. She'd convinced herself that the kids would be here. Scared, but okay. Now that they weren't she didn't know what to think.

Surely they wouldn't have left the station. Noah would know to go find someone who worked for the metro or a security guard. He knew better than to leave.

What if they didn't get off the train? It was still pretty hectic when she'd gotten off. Maybe they couldn't get out?

Olivia slammed her fist on the counter in frustration. What was she supposed to do?

The attendant jumped at the noise, but she didn't say anything. She just gave a sympathetic look and went back to her phone conversation with the police.

Olivia muttered an apology and pulled out her phone to text Ed.

* * *

Ed jumped when his phone vibrated in his hand. He saw the text notification from Olivia and immediately brimmed with hope. That hope was dashed when he read the message.

'Made it to next stop. Kids aren't here.'

He started to call his wife when another notification popped up.

'Talking to security. Will call in a minute.'

 _Shit._ He scrubbed one hand down his face. Now what?

-tbc


	6. Chapter 6

_Ed jumped when his phone vibrated in his hand. He saw the text notification from Olivia and immediately brimmed with hope. That hope was dashed when he read the message._

' _Made it to next stop. Kids aren't here.'_

 _He started to call his wife when another notification popped up._

' _Talking to security. Will call in a minute.'_

 _Shit. He scrubbed one hand down his face. Now what?_

Ed's phone rang less than two minutes later.

"Liv?" He said quickly. "Tell me they're okay?"

"They aren't here," she said, her voice strained.

"What do you mean? They didn't get off the train?" Ed was trying to keep his voice steady.

"I don't know, but they aren't here, and no one remembers seeing them."

"That doesn't make sense," he countered.

"It was still pretty busy at this stop, maybe they couldn't get off the train. Maybe they were too scared. Maybe…" her voice trailed off.

"I'm sure they're fine," Ed said quickly. "Noah is a smart kid. He knows what to do."

"You're right, you're right," Olivia said trying to convince herself. "I know you're right."

"What do you want to do?" He asked. He didn't bother to wait for her to answered. "I think I should meet you there."

"Yes," she said, relieved. She didn't want to deal with this over the phone. She needed Ed by her side.

The security guard overheard Ed's part of the conversation and offered to go with him to translate and help as needed. Ed immediately agreed.

"Liv," he said into the phone. "A security guard is going to come with me. He speaks English and has been helping me on this end. Just hang tight, we'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay," she answered with a shaky voice. "Please hurry."

* * *

It was another almost 20 minutes before Ed made it to the next stop and found Olivia. He was almost frantic as he rushed with the security guard from the train to the ticket counter.

"Liv," he called as soon as he saw her. She was slumped against the wall next to the ticket counter. Dubois let them have a moment and took the opportunity to get an update from the ticket clerk.

"Ed," she said with a sigh. "Thank God you're here."

He grabbed her forearm and pulled her to him. It wasn't exactly a hug. He pressed his temple to hers and kept a firm grip on her arm. His other hand brushed her hair aside.

"Where could they be?" She whispered looking at him.

"Maybe they weren't able to get off the train," he said. "It was really crowded. Noah might have been worried they'd get separated."

"Sir, Madam," the guard interrupted. "We have notified all of our attendants on this line. At the gate and on the trains. We will find your children."

Ed turned and put his arm around Olivia's shoulder. "Thank you," he said.

"What can we do now?" Olivia asked.

"I am sorry madam," Dubois answered. "We just need to wait a few minutes. Let's see if the got off at the next stop."

"But," she began a protest.

"I assure you," Dubois continued. "We have guards standing by at the next three stops to board the trains. We will find your children." He kept repeating the promise. He really wasn't that worried. The next few stops were in relatively safe parts of town, and it was the middle of the day. Now that the guards and train operators had been notified, it would just be a matter of time.

Olivia didn't answer. Instead she just leaned into Ed's side. He immediately squeezed her shoulder in an attempt at reassurance.

"Liv, let's just let them get security on the trains. We have to get them a chance."

"I know," she said with a shake of her head that betrayed the steadiness of her voice. "I just…Ed they're all alone."

"I know, baby," Ed said as he pulled her into a full hug. "They'll be okay. They will."

She let him hold her, but it wasn't providing any comfort. She wouldn't be able to relax until they knew where the kids were. Ed could feel the tension radiating off of her in waves. He didn't try to say any more. He knew she wouldn't be clam until they found Noah and Nicole. Instead, he just held her to him and said a silent prayer.

* * *

On the other side of the station, Noah and Nicole had already left and were headed down the street with Amelia. It wasn't what Noah wanted, but it seemed to be the only option.

Amelia had led them to the ticket counter, but it was closed. There wasn't anyone in sight.

"Oh no, I forgot," Amelia had explained. "The ticket counter is closed except at busy times."

"What are we going to do?" Noah asked.

"Well, there is a police station just a few kilometers from here," Amelia offered. "I can take you there."

"A police station?" Noah said. "That sounds good. Let's go there."

"Noah?" Nicole said. She was worried to leave the metro.

"It's okay," Noah said. "The police can help us find mom and dad."

"Okay," she said. She just wanted to find her parents.

"It is not far," Amelia assured the children. "But it is getting cold, so button up."

As soon as they got out into the open air, Noah realized that it was quite a bit colder than when they'd left the hotel. Clouds had moved in and it looked like it might snow. He started to put his hands in his pockets to keep warm, but Amelia quickly grabbed one of his hands and one of Nicole's. The streets weren't so crowded here, but Noah didn't protest Amelia's protective gesture.

"How far did you say?" Nicole asked. She shivered a little, her lightweight sweater not quite doing the trick.

"Not far sweet girl," the woman answered. "I know it is cold, but only about ten minutes walk."

They trio hurried down the street. Noah wished there were more people around or that he knew they were going in the right direction. But Amelia worked for the metro, and she'd said something about having a son Noah's age. She'd help them

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity, the Paris police arrived at the station to talk to Ed and Olivia. It was two patrolmen and an additional metro security guard.

After brief introductions, Dubois quickly helped explain the situation. Ed made sure to mention that he and Olivia were both NYPD. Officer Bernard, the older of the two patrolmen didn't miss the name drop. He quickly radioed something to his supervisor.

"Monsieur," Bernard said. "I have notified my Captain of the situation. I am sure we will find your children quickly."

"Thank you," Ed nodded his appreciation for the elevation to the Captain.

"I also instructed all of the stations to get their security tapes, from your last stop to the end of the line." Bernard was trying to reassure.

"Good. Good." Ed said. They were doing all they could do, but he couldn't help but ask for more. "What else can we do?"

"I think it is best if we wait here," Bernard said. "I know that is not the answer you wish to hear, but…"

"I understand," Ed said. Olivia reached up and squeezed his hand that was draped over her shoulder.

Ed looked at his wife. She hadn't said a word since the police arrived. She'd just stayed glued to his side.

Olivia was pale, and her breaths were shallow. She was holding up, but it wasn't going to work to stand here next to the ticket counter. They need a place to sit down.

"Um," Ed said quietly to Dubois. "Is there a place we can get some privacy?"

Dubois followed Ed's nod toward Olivia and immediately understood. He said something to the other officials in French. They spoke for a couple minutes.

"Monsieur and Madam," Bernard said with authority. "Perhaps you would be more comfortable waiting in the security office?"

"That would be better," Ed said. "Thank you."

Olivia looked at the French policeman, then at Ed. She finally seemed to snap out of it. Yes, it would be better to be in the security office. There'd be less hustle and bustle. Less stress. And they would be with security as soon as word came through. She nodded her agreement, and the group was suddenly in motion.

* * *

After walking only two blocks with Amelia, Noah and Nicole were suddenly struck by another challenge. It started sleeting.

It wasn't cold enough to snow, but it was too cold to rain. The result was miserable. Within another few blocks, Nicole's clothes were soaked through.

"I am sorry," Amelia said. "I have no umbrella."

"It's okay," Noah said. "Let's just get to the police station." He was freezing, and he was almost as soaked as Nicole. He didn't care. He just wanted to get to the police where he could make sure he and his sister were safe.

They made it another couple blocks before Nicole started to whine. "I'm cold," she said with chattering teeth.

Noah looked at his sister. She was soaked to the bone, red nose, tears brimming. Truth be told, he was almost as bad off. He was so cold he could feel himself shaking.

"How much farther is it?" Noah asked when they stopped at an intersection.

Amelia looked at the kids. They were both frozen, sopping messes.

"It is still many blocks," she said with sympathy. "My apartment is just there." She pointed to the right of the direction they were heading.

Noah and Nicole looked at the building at the end of the block. Then they looked at each other. Nicole was going to start crying any second. She was so cold.

"I don't know," Noah said.

"Noah, I have a boy about your age. His name is Christopher," Amelia said with a wistful smile. "I can get us some dry clothes and a raincoat for your sister."

"I'm so cold," Nicole said and the tears started to fall.

"We do not want you to get sick," Amelia said. "We can call the police from my apartment, and then I will take you there."

Noah didn't know what to do. Going to a stranger's apartment wasn't a good idea, but Nicole was freezing. He was freezing. He kept reminding himself that Amelia worked for the metro and was just trying to help them. Maybe they could go to her place, get dry and call the police.

"Okay, let's go." Noah said. The trio quickly changed direction and headed toward the apartment building at the end of the block.

"Noah, it will be okay," Amelia said with sincerity. "I promise to get you home."

* * *

Ed and Olivia followed the officers to the cramped security office where they were immediately offered the only two guest chairs in the room. Ed nodded for Olivia to sit. She did at first but quickly stood back up. There wasn't too much space in the office, but Olivia paced around anyway.

"Liv, they'll be okay." He tried to sound like he believed his own words as he pulled her into a tight hug once again.

"They have to be," she croaked. Her legs almost gave out beneath her, causing him to guide her back to the chair.

"They will be," he said before correcting himself. "They are."

The main security guard's box squawked interrupting their moment. Neither of them could make sense of the garbled French they'd heard, but they looked to Dubois and Bernard expectantly.

"We have new video," Dubois translated. "We do not know if it is your children, but they are transferring the file now."

Ed and Olivia rushed from their position to one where they could see the security screen. They waited anxiously as the stream buffered.

It took less than five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. The video finally started to play. It wasn't great quality, but Olivia and Ed immediately recognized their children.

"They did get off the train," Olivia whispered. "Ed." She gripped his arm, her voice laced with worry.

He put his hand over hers and kept his eyes glued to the screen. His kids were with a woman who led them away from the crowd. That in and of itself wasn't alarming. Dubois explained that there was another ticket office on the other side of the station. He also mentioned that it was closed except during rush hour.

"Where did she take them?" Olivia asked.

"One minute," the tech said as he toggled the video feeds. A few seconds later, he'd found it.

A new video popped up and showed Noah and Nicole being led toward the ticket counter. Ed and Olivia watched intently. They hoped their kids were just in another security office on the other side of the terminal. They hoped this was just a hoped this was going to be over soon.

* * *

Noah and Nicole followed Amelia up the stairs to a flat on the second floor. It felt good to get out of the freezing rain and cold, but they were still dripping wet and shivering. Amelia quickly unlocked her door and ushered the kids inside.

"Let us get off these wet coats," she said as she took off her raincoat and reached to help Nicole with her sweater. "Don't cry dear, we will have you warmed up in no time."

Nicole's shirt was also soaked, and she was still shivering. Amelia moved them farther into the house while Noah got out of his wet sweater. His t-shirt was wet, too. Amelia grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around Nicole's shoulders. Then she scooped her up and plopped her onto the couch not seeming bothered by the wet shoes slopping water everywhere. Noah looked around for another blanket.

"In the basket," Amelia offered and pointed to a basket underneath a side table at the other end of the couch.

"Thanks," he said and went to retrieve a blanket. He looked around the house. It seemed nice enough.

"Will you two be okay here for a minute while I go find some dry clothes?"

"Yes," Noah answered as he joined Nicole on the couch. She sniffled and scooted close to him. At home he would have snapped at her to get back on her own side, but this was different. He was responsible for her now. So instead of pushing her away, he put his arm around her and told her it was going to be okay.

About 10 minutes later, Amelia emerged from the back of the apartment with some clothes folded in her arms. She had changed her own clothes as well.

"I believe these will fit you, Noah," she said as she dropped a t-shirt and sweatshirt beside him. She handed Nicole another set of a long-sleeved shirt and a sweatshirt with a hood. "Nicole, this will be a bit big for you, but at least is it dry."

Nicole and Noah studied the clothes. It seemed a little strange, but they looked warm. Noah got up and helped Nicole get disentangled from her blanket.

"Where can we change?" he asked. Amelia directed them to the back of the apartment and pointed Nicole to the bathroom.

"You will be okay to change here," Amelia said to Nicole. "Noah, you can use my son's room." She pointed to the door across the hall. It was a typical pre-teen boys room with a poster of a soccer star on one wall and some model airplanes perched on top of the dresser.

"You okay, Nicole?" Noah asked. She nodded slightly. She was still scared, but it would be okay.

"Okay, I will put some water on for some hot cocoa and contact the police," Amelia said.

"I think we should go on to the police station as soon as we get changed," Noah said. While she seemed to be helping them, he didn't want to stay at this apartment longer than necessary.

"Of course," she quickly responded. "I will call the police right away, then we will decide." She rushed off down the hall leaving the kids to change. "Bring me your wet shirts, and I will get a bag to carry them."

"Are you sure this is okay?" Nicole asked. It worried her that Noah wanted to leave and the woman seemed to want to stay.

"Let's just get changed, then we'll tell her we have to go." Noah said turning to the room.

* * *

Ed and Olivia watched as the tech flashed video feed in front of them. Finally, they found another shot. There was a clear view of Noah, Nicole and the woman climbing the stairs and exiting to the street level.

Olivia shot Ed a worried look. "Why would they have left the station?"

The tech and Dubois suddenly stiffened. Dubois tapped Bernard's arm and mumbled something in French. The patrolman nodded and ducked out the door with his radio in hand.

"What is it?" Ed asked.

"It is nothing," Dubois answered unconvincingly.

"Don't lie to us," Olivia said staring Dubois down. "Do not lie to me."

Dubois looked at Olivia and then to Ed. He knew he had to tell them the truth, but he wished he had more information before he did.

"What did you see? Do you know who that woman is?" Ed asked tightening his grip on Olivia's shoulder.

"We do know who the woman is," Dubois said. "She is a metro employee."

"Okay?" Ed said. "Then why do you look so worried."

"The woman is Amelia Moreau," he said and eyed the tech who looked worried. The younger police officer didn't recognize the woman or the name. He said something to Dubois in French.

Dubois answered in French and directed him to the other security guard. Bernard returned and joined the other office and listened as the guard started explaining in hushed voices.

"Stop it," Olivia said slamming her hand on the desk. "Tell me what's wrong. Who is this Amelia person, and why would she have taken them from the station if she's an employee?"

"Madam, please sit," Dubois said and tried to direct her to the chair on the other side of the desk.

"I will not," she said defiantly. "Tell me what the hell is going on. Who is this woman who has my children?" She was almost shouting and was struggling to keep her voice from breaking.

Dubois looked to Ed for help to calm Olivia, but Ed was as on edge as his wife was. His jaw was clenched and the hand that wasn't on Liv's shoulder was balled into a fist.

"Madam Moreau is a metro employee. She has been on bereavement leave for three months." He began. Ed and Olivia listened with growing anxiety as Dubois explained that Amelia had lost her only son, ten-year old Christopher, and her husband in a freak car accident over the summer. She'd been so distraught that she was unable to work or even receive visitors.

Amelia had no other family and came from a difficult background. Her son had been her world. The story had made headlines and the metro staff and employees had held a benefit to raise money for a children's shelter in Christopher's name. Amelia wasn't able to attend because she was still too upset. It had been a well-publicized story in Paris.

Olivia couldn't help but feel compassion for the woman as the story unfolded. She was worried though. There was still something this guy wasn't telling them. As that thought ran through her mind, Dubois dropped the bomb.

"We believe that she is mentally unstable. There was an incident a few weeks ago." Dubois said. Seeing the parents' reaction, he quickly added. "I do not believe she will harm your children, but I am concerned that she took them away from the metro station."

Olivia was blinking rapidly and her breaths were coming in short bursts. She slumped against Ed's side.

"Liv, look at me." He loosened his hold and tried to turn her to face him. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be fine. He wanted to tell her that this woman didn't mean any harm. He wanted to reassure her as much as himself.

When he saw the tears in her eyes, he couldn't say any of it. He didn't know anything at this minute. She registered the fear in his eyes and started shaking her head.

They both knew the danger that could be caused by an emotionally disturbed woman grieving such a terrible loss. Olivia didn't even want to know about "incident" the guard mentioned. She'd have to ask, but she had a feeling that it would only make things worse.

"Liv," Ed said again. He was worried that she was about to hyperventilate.

She didn't look at him or respond. She just sank to her knees and heaved a quiet sob.

-tbc-


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I know, I know, I KNOW. I've been a bad writer. So sorry I haven't updated, but new job and other life stuff just made it impossible. But I'm back, and in addition to this I have the next two updates almost finished. So I promise it won't be so long a wait... It's Christmas, after all.

 _They both knew the danger that could be caused by an emotionally disturbed woman grieving such a terrible loss. Olivia didn't even want to know about "incident" the guard mentioned. She'd have to ask, but she had a feeling that it would only make things worse. Her mind was racing._

" _Liv," Ed said again. He was worried that she was about to hyperventilate._

 _She didn't look at him or respond. She just sank to her knees and heaved a quiet sob._

"Liv, look at me." He repeated as he dropped to her level and put his hands on her shoulders. "We're going to find them."

Her mind heard his words, but they were lost in a jumble of fear and self-recrimination. This was not a good situation. She'd dealt with plenty of grieving parents in her career, and she knew how badly this could end.

"Madam," Officer Bernard interrupted. "I have notified my commander of the situation, officers are already on the way to her house. There is no reason to expect she will be…" he didn't want to over-promise since he didn't know the state of the potential kidnapper. "I am sure they will be fine."

"What about her car?" Ed asked. He didn't know if French procedure was the same as NYPD, but he wanted to know everything they were doing. He needed to know they were doing everything they could.

"Yes, her car. We also will have her picture to every metro stop, airport, bus station in the city," he said. "Do you have current pictures of your children? We want to put out an Alert Enlèvement, just in case."

Ed had pictures of the kids in his phone, but he was worried about leaving Liv's side to retrieve them. She flinched when the officer mentioned "Alert Enlèvement", the French version of an "Amber Alert". She only knew that because she'd attended an international trafficking forum a couple years ago.

Olivia was still silent, still on her knees. She'd sat back on her feet and dropped her head to her hands. She was mumbling something that none of the men could make out.

"Liv, I'm going to find a couple pictures of the kids for the police." He said. "But I'm not going anywhere."

He stood slowly. He kept one hand on her shoulder and with the other fished his phone from his pocket. He quickly found a couple pictures of the kids at the park the day before and texted them to the number Officer Bernard gave him.

The police and guards quickly jumped into action to get the photos out to the appropriate people. Ed immediately dropped down next to his wife. She was softly crying and still muttering something.

"Liv, it's going to be okay." He said, rubbing her back. "They're going to find them, and everything's going to be okay."

"You don't know that," she said turning her head just slightly. "You can't promise me that."

"I know it in my heart," Ed said, and he meant it. He had a strong feeling that it was going to be okay. "Of course, I can't promise, but we have to believe and hope for the best."

She shook her head. He dipped his head so he could see her face. "We need to just focus on working with these guys to find them."

"I know," she said again chastising herself, this time for falling apart. But she couldn't seem to shake the guilt.

"What is it?" he asked. "What aren't you saying?"

"This is all my fault," she said so quietly he wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly.

He looked around the room quickly. All of the police and guards had run off to carry out their various tasks. The only one left besides the two of them was the computer tech who'd shown them the videos. The tech caught Ed's eye and nodded toward the door, presumably indicating that's where Bernard went. Ed nodded back, silently asking the tech to leave and give him a minute alone with Olivia. The man complied and gave a sympathetic smile before whispering something in French.

As soon as they were alone, Ed put his hands under Olivia's elbows and pulled her to her feet. She didn't want to be comforted, but she was too upset to resist his embrace.

"It's my fault," she said again. "I should have had a better hold on them. I should have…"

"Stop it," Ed said. "This is not your fault. It was just an accident."

"If I'd been holding their hands," she continued, ignoring him. "I should have insisted on holding their hands." She kept berating herself, but her voice was getting so faint he couldn't even make out what she was saying.

"Olivia," he said more firmly. "I said stop it. Now."

She quit talking, but she refused to look at him. He didn't want to push her too hard, but they needed to keep it together until they found the kids. If she wanted to beat herself up with guilt, he could talk her out of it later, but right now he needed his badass Benson wife to show up and help him and the cops find their kids.

"I need you with me on this."

She sniffled and tried to take a more steady breath. He breathed with her, slow and deep trying to get her to calm herself even just a little.

"We need to be helping the police. We know what we've taught the kids. We know best how they might react."

She nodded continuing to avoid his eyes, but was feeling a bit more steady on her feet. He knew she was avoiding him. That she wasn't letting go of the misplaced guilt.

"I can't tell you how to feel, but I need you. The kids need you," he said.

She knew he was right. She'd spent her entire career putting her own feelings aside to deal with the facts of a case. Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of her kids as a _case_. It took everything in her not to automatically fear the worst.

"It's been just over an hour," Ed said as if reading her thoughts. "There is no indication that this woman means any harm. Noah and Nicole won't go just anywhere with a stranger. They know to call 112 in an emergency."

She finally looked at him. She wanted to see the reassurance in his eyes that he carried in his voice. It wasn't quite there, but he returned her gaze with resolve. She knew he'd go through hell or high-water to get their kids back. She knew she'd do the same. And because of that, she began to feel the hope he was trying to give her.

Ed was almost in awe as he watched the shift happen. The moment Olivia went from desperate to determined. The moment her hope was rekindled and her fear momentarily pushed aside. He'd seen her pull herself together during a tough case or a difficult interview with a victim, but to watch her steel herself against her motherly panic was painful.

"Okay?" Ed was hesitant. He didn't want to move too quickly and risk losing the ground they'd just gained, but they didn't have a lot of time. In a situation like this every minute counted and could be the difference between finding them or… He couldn't even complete the thought.

"Okay," she answered and took a deep breath. Her thoughts weren't much different from his, but she wasn't going to waste anymore time.

"Let's go find Bernard," he said ushering her toward the door of the security office. "I want to talk to his Captain."

* * *

"Noah," Nicole whispered as she knocked on the door where he'd been changing into dry clothes. She had made quick work of changing her shirt. She didn't want to be left alone in a stranger's house for any longer than necessary.

He called for her to come in, so she turned the knob. Noah had already gotten out of his wet clothes and had a t-shirt on.

"You okay," he said as he pulled a sweatshirt over his head, concern evident in his voice. As soon as he was situated he looked at her. He laughed a little.

The shirt she was wearing hung almost to her knees and the sleeves were bunched all the way up her arms. She frowned.

"I'm sorry, it just looks like you're wearing mom's clothes or something," he said. "But are you warmed up?"

"Yeah," she ignored his amusement. She was too nervous to care if he made fun of her.

He wasn't really trying to pick on her. He was trying to joke with her a little, so she'd forget how scared she was. Realizing it wasn't going to work, he switched gears.

"Okay, let's go call the police. Maybe Amelia knows how to call mom's phone, too."

Noah knew that there was something about his parents phones that didn't work while they were in France, but he didn't know if that meant they couldn't call them at all. He thought maybe he'd seen them send text messages. He and his sister knew both of their parents' phone numbers, and he kicked himself for just now thinking of that.

"You remember mom's phone number, right?" Noah asked as he started out of the bedroom.

"Yeah," she said with a nod.

"And 112," he said. "That's like 911 for France."

She nodded again.

"If anything happens, you find a phone or the police or another grown up, and you call 112 then call mom, okay?"

She stopped dead in her tracks before they got out of the room. "What's going to happen?"

"Nothing's going to happen," he said. "Just in case, I want to make sure you remember."

"Remember what?" Amelia said startling them by suddenly appearing in the door way.

"Our mom's phone number," Noah answered truthfully. He hoped his voice didn't sound like he was scared. Nicole scooted closer to him and grabbed the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He was starting to feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of taking care of them both.

"Oh, of course," Amelia said sweetly. "I made us some hot chocolate. Why don't we sit down and have some while we wait."

Something didn't seem right to the kids. Amelia was supposed to be taking them to the police not making hot cocoa.

"I think we should just go on to the police station," Noah said pulling Nicole's hand into his and taking a step toward the door.

The woman didn't move to let them pass. "I already called the police. They'll be here any minute."

Noah didn't know if he trusted this woman anymore. Something about her voice had changed since they got to the apartment.

"I think I should call the police and talk to them. I can give them my mom's phone number." He tried to sound like his dad when he was laying down the law. Steady voice, no anger, no fear. He was scared that he was failing.

"How about you wait right here, and I'll go get the drinks and the phone?" Amelia said as she started backing out of the room with her hand on the doorknob.

Noah stepped forward pulling Nicole along with him. Before they could get to the door, Amelia quickly moved into the hallway and pulled the door closed. Noah quickly reached for the handle, but he heard a click just as he grabbed the knob.

* * *

Captain Roussel ushered Ed and Olivia into his office. It had taken some convincing to get Olivia to leave the train station, but all evidence pointed to the kids having left. Officer Bernard had made the convincing argument by pointing out that they'd have access to many more resources at the police station.

Roussel offered the couple coffee but was turned down. He motioned for another officer to bring some coffee anyway. Ed started peppering the Captain with questions. Olivia had her arms crossed over her chest but stood so she was touching Ed's shoulder almost leaning on him.

"Please, sit," the Captain said and motioned toward a worn leather couch to their left.

Olivia stiffened. She didn't want to sit in another police captain's office and discuss her missing children. Ed put an arm around her shoulders and with a light squeeze encouraged her to comply. They weren't in the U.S. There wasn't anyone they could call to pull rank. They needed to play nice.

She took a sharp breath and followed Ed's lead. When Roussel started rehashing the facts they knew so far, it took everything in her not to rush to the bin in the corner and throw up. Her babies were with a strange, possibly emotionally disturbed woman in a foreign country. She could feel herself starting to hyperventilate again.

Ed felt his wife start to tremble and shot a glance at her. She was breathing through pursed lips. It was a method she'd learned after Lewis to cope with sudden anxiety attacks. He could tell she was struggling to regulate.

While the French Captain continued to tell them about French procedure and protocol, Ed listened. He tightened his grip on Liv's shoulders and once again encouraged her to breathe with him. Deep breaths. Together.

Olivia fought to focus on the Captain's words, and she felt the panic start to subside. Ed gave her another squeeze. She blew out a breath, pushed her shoulders back and lifted her head to join the conversation.

The trio starting discussing next steps. It was so hard for two trained NYPD cops to just sit in a police station and wait. It went against everything instinct they had as cops, as parents.

* * *

"Noah?" Nicole said, her bottom lip starting to quiver. "What's happening? Why did she lock us in here"

"I don't know," he said honestly. The apartment had old fashioned doors with key locks. Amelia must have had a key with her. Noah didn't understand how she'd tricked them, but it hadn't even occurred to him that she would do this.

Nicole was starting to cry. Noah wanted to cry with her, but he had to be the big brother and get them away from this woman. He started looking around the room. There wasn't a phone or a computer. Then he saw the window and the fire escape outside.

"Come on," he said and pulled Nicole with him over to the window. He didn't know how long Amelia would be gone. He tried to push the window up, but it wouldn't budge.

Noah ran his fingers along the sides and bottom of the window looking for a latch. He found nothing. He wasn't tall enough to see if there was a lock at the top.

"Get me that chair," he told Nicole. She was reluctant to leave his side.

"Now, Nicole," he said harshly. "We don't have much time."

Tears were still running down her cheeks, but she did what her brother told her to do. Seconds later she rolled the desk chair to the window and tried to hold it still while he climbed on.

"Got it," he said with relief as he found the latch and unlocked it. He hopped off the chair and easily pushed the window open. It was a little heavy and wouldn't stay open on its own.

"Where are we going to go?" Nicole said as Noah looked for something to prop the window.

"I don't know, but we need to get out of here and away from this lady," he answered. He raised an eyebrow when he spotted a pair of ice skates. Maybe the blade would be strong enough to hold the window open.

Within a few minutes, Nicole was shivering on the fire escape waiting for Noah to climb out. The ice skate worked to hold the window open, and it had been easy enough for little Nicole to squeeze through, but Noah was having a hard time getting through the small space.

He'd hoisted himself halfway out but had no leverage because the space was small. He was about to drop back into the room and try a different approach when he heard the key in the lock of the door.

* * *

Back at the police station, Olivia felt a sudden sense of panic again. She tightened her grip on Ed's hand.

"You okay?"

She just looked at him.

"I know," he said. "I wish there was more we could do, too."

"I just," she began but trailed off.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Something feels wrong."

"You think the police are hiding something?" He said and squared his shoulders as if preparing to act.

"No, it's not that." She said with a shake of her head.

"Then what?"

"I don't know."

He pulled her closer to him and put his free hand on her knee. She grabbed his hand and held it so tight he almost asked her to ease up. Instead he just rubbed the side of her wrist with his thumb and prayed that her intuition was wrong.

* * *

"Down the stairs, Nicole, and hold on," Noah ordered. She shot him a look of protest. "Just go. I'm right behind you."

She reluctantly started down the first flight of the fire escape. Noah gave one last shove against the ledge and fell into a heap onto the cold, wet landing.

"No!" Shouted Amelia as she rushed to the window. "Where do you think you're going?"

Noah grabbed the window with one hand and shoved the ice skate back into the room with the other. Then he let the heavy window slam shut.

He jumped when Amelia's hand pounded against the now closed window. "Don't leave me again."

He saw Nicole was almost to the next landing and he jumped up and rushed after her. "Keep going, Nic!"

He quickly caught up to her. When they got to the last landing he realized there was a bit of a drop to the ground. It wasn't far for him, but it would be too much for Nicole.

"Let me go first," he instructed as he moved to climb down the more ladder-like rungs of the final few steps.

"I'm scared," she whimpered.

"I know," he said quickly. "But it's okay. I'll get down, and then I'll help you."

Noah struggled a little with the last few rungs because he had no where to put his feet. It took all of his strength to lower himself the short distance with just his arms, but his feet finally touched the ground.

"Come on, Nic." He encouraged immediately.

She didn't hesitate and started down the rungs. When her feet hit the last one she didn't know what to do. Noah gave her instructions and she was soon dropping down to the ground in his grasp.

"There's a church just at the end of the block. They can help," he said pointing ahead and started to turn his sister in the right direction.

Nicole didn't budge. "Come on," he said again. Then he looked down and saw that she was looking behind him. Dread filled Noah when he heard his sister scream. Then he felt Amelia's hand wrap around his arm.

"Run!" Noah yelled as he threw himself backwards knocking the woman to the ground. Unfortunately, he was dragged down, too, because the grip on his arm never let up.

Nicole stood frozen for a minute watching as her brother and the woman struggled. She didn't want to run away. She didn't want to be alone. She didn't want to leave Noah with this woman.

"Nicole!" Noah shouted at her. "Run to the church. You have to get away. It's our only chance."

He was just saying anything he could think to get her to get away. He didn't want to be separated from her, but if she could just make it to the end of the block to the church maybe someone would help her. He wasn't even thinking about himself at this exact moment. But he thought that Nicole getting away was the best chance for both of them.

Nicole was crying hard. She didn't know what to do. Amelia had a hold of Noah and was starting to drag them both to stand. Noah panicked. The time for one of them to get away was running out.

"I'll be okay. GO!"

Nicole saw the church. It wasn't far. Maybe she could get there. She started walking but kept looking back at Noah. She didn't want to leave, but he was yelling at her to run.

Amelia was back on her feet and started dragging Noah toward Nicole. He grabbed her hand with his and pulled her in the opposite direction giving Nicole one last command to run. HIs sister finally listened and took off running.

"Why did you try to run away?" Amelia cried. She started trying to pull Noah back toward the entrance to the apartment building. He resisted. The woman was hysterical, and he thought he might be able to get away from her, too.

He twisted and squirmed trying to wrench himself from her grip. She yanked his arm hard. The sudden action and the slippery sidewalk caused him to fall.

Noah wasn't prepared when his feet suddenly flew out from under him. Just before the back of his head smacked the concrete, he saw the blurry from of Nicole running up the steps of the church at the end of the block. That was the last thing he saw before his world went black.


	8. Chapter 8

_Noah wasn_ _'_ _t prepared when his feet suddenly flew out from under him. Just before the back of his head smacked the concrete, he saw the blurry from of Nicole running up the steps of the church at the end of the block. That was the last thing he saw before his world went black._

Nicole ran as fast as she could on the slippery sidewalk. She almost fell once, but she kept going. She was crying so hard she could barely see her way as she ran up the steps.

She pulled on the heavy door, but between her tears and being out of breath, she couldn't quite do it. She took a second then tried again. The door was so heavy, but she managed to wedge herself inside.

It was dark except for the dusky light seeping in through the stained glass windows lining either side of the little church. There was a center aisle separating two columns of wooden pews.

Nicole was scared. It was cold, dark and musty. She didn't see anyone. She wished she hadn't left Noah.

Noah. He was all alone with the weird lady. Nicole had to do something.

"Hello?" she called out softly. Nothing. She said it again a little louder. Still nothing.

She made her way into the church a little farther. Then she saw there was a lit hallway off to the right. There was a sign she couldn't read hanging above the doorway. Since there was a light, she thought that was the best way to go.

She was sniffling when she made it to the hallway, but she was relieved to see that it looked a little friendlier. There were children's drawings of Christmas adorning the walls. There were several doors along the corridor but they were all closed.

"Hello?" she called again. She didn't want to cry, but she couldn't help it. She was scared but determined to find someone to help her brother. At the end of the hall she saw what looked like a side exit to her right and another hallway to her right. There was an open door about halfway down. She took a shaky breath and decided it was her only option.

* * *

"Our officers are on their way to the apartment of Amelia," Roussel said as he listened to the police radio and translated for Ed and Olivia.

Olivia was perched on the edge of her seat. Ed rubbed her back. Whether it was to soothe her or him, he couldn't be certain.

Several tense minutes passed.

A few crackled words came over the radio. The Tuckers looked expectantly at the Captain only to see him hold up a finger telling them to wait.

More static, more muffled French that they couldn't understand.

"Ed," Olivia whispered again. She'd been periodically saying his name. Then Noah, then Nicole. Her words were barely audible. It was some kind of mantra she'd taken up. Ed responded to each utterance with a gentle squeeze of the shoulder, swipe of his thumb on her hand or a kiss to her temple. It was a ritual they'd gone through about a dozen times in the past half hour.

This time, however, she got stuck on Noah. Olivia just kept repeating her son's name over and over and over. Her voice was so quiet only Ed could hear her.

"What is it?" Ed said softly to his wife while trying to still pay attention to the French police captain who was following the radio.

Olivia just shook her head. She didn't know how to explain it, but she felt as if her heart was about to break. Images of Noah flooded her mind.

Ed didn't know what to make of it. Olivia wasn't overly dramatic. She was as even keeled as they came. Before he could decide his next move, she abruptly jumped up and rushed to the captain's desk.

"What is it?" She demanded to the shocked Roussel. "Where are my children?"

* * *

Corrine Marceau was sitting at her desk at St. Alban's trying to record the last of the donations for the church's food drive when she heard what sounded like a little girl crying in the hall outside her office.

The sound was so faint, she ignored it at first. Then she heard it again, louder this time. It was a small voice crying.

She called out something to the larger office behind her as she stood to investigate. They didn't get many visitors who weren't parishioners.

Corrine stepped into the hallway to find a little girl with slightly damp blond curls plastered to her tear-streaked face. The girl was wearing a sweatshirt that was three sizes too big, and her shoes looked thoroughly soaked.

She rushed over and started asking where she came from, her name, if she was hurt. But the little girl just stared at her like she didn't understand. The girl shrieked and jumped back when Corrine reached for her, so Corrine held up her hands to show she meant no harm. Then she said some more French words.

Nicole didn't know what to do. She couldn't understand this woman, but she seemed nice. The last lady seemed nice too, and now look what had happened. Nicole didn't know if it was okay to tell this new stranger what happened or if it would only make it worse.

As Nicole backed into the wall she tried to think about Noah. He was alone with the scary lady, but he was brave. He was the one who called 911 this summer when Mommy got sick at the beach. He was the one who got them out of the lady's house. Now, she had to be brave for him.

"I need the police." Nicole said.

Corrine was shocked when she heard the girl speak. She was an American. This wasn't a church on the tourist circuit, and the neighborhood was enough off the beaten path that they didn't get too many American tourists out this way.

"Are you okay?" Corrine asked aware of her heavy accent. She'd learned English in school, but she never had the opportunity to travel and perfect her dialect. She knew that she sounded very French to most Americans.

Nicole just stared at the woman. No, she wasn't okay. She was lost. Her brother was with a stranger, and she had no idea how to find her parents. She started to cry at the thought of trying to explain.

"Oh, oh, oh," Corrine expressed as she knelt down in front of Nicole. "Okay. Okay. Comment t'appelle-tu?

Nicole stayed against the wall, but she looked at the woman in front of her. She seemed kind and genuine, even if Nicole had no idea what she was saying.

"Your name, mon enfant?" the woman said.

"Ni..Nicole." She answered.

"Nicole, ma belle," Corrine said sweetly. "Un moment." She stood and said something to someone in the back office.

Nicole was still scared, but something about this woman seemed safe. She decided to wait and see.

"Corrine, qu'est-ce que c'est?" A man called from the other room.

Nicole tried to stop crying, as she listened to the two people talking about her. But she was worried about Noah. She couldn't wait any longer.

Just as Nicole was about to make her move, a young priest stepped into view. "Nicole?"

She nodded.

"Nicole," he said again and stooped in front of her. "Are you lost?"

She nodded. He didn't sound funny like the others. He sounded like her. She felt a little better.

"You are from America, right?" the man asked.

Another nod.

"Me, too," the man said with a smile. "I grew up in Brooklyn, but my father's family is French, so I moved here a few years ago."

Nicole knew Brooklyn, that's where Daddy worked a long time ago before she was born, even before he knew Mommy. She didn't know much about it, but she knew it was part of New York.

"You're from New York?" she asked, incredulous.

"I am," he answered. "My name is Philip. Where are you from, Nicole?"

"I'm from New York, too." She answered, gaining confidence.

"The city?"

Nod.

"Manhattan?"

Another nod.

"Nicole, do you think you could tell me how you got here?" Father Philip asked.

Her bottom lip started to quiver. She was so taken with trying to figure out if these people were okay, she'd forgotten the most important thing.

"My brother, you have to help him!" She started toward the door.

"Wait, wait," Philip said. "Just tell us what happened."

"I need to call the police," she cried. "My brother. The lady took him. We got lost from my mommy and daddy at the train station. The lady said she would help, but she didn't. My br…Noah is still there. Please, I have to find my mom."

Philip and Corrine shared a look. With a nod, Corrine picked up the phone and dialed the number.

"Nicole," the priest said softly. "Corrine is calling the police. Can you tell me again exactly what happened?"

A few minutes passed. Father Philip asked Nicole a few more questions. Corrine called the local precinct. Nicole was starting to feel a little better. This man was from New York. She could talk to him. She told him her parents were cops. She heard the lady call the police.

Corrine ended the call with the police and updated Philip. He, in turn, told Nicole that the police would be there in a few minutes.

"Can I call my mommy?"

"Do you know her number?" Asked Philip.

Nod. "But I don't know if it works here?"

"It's okay," Philip said. "We can try anyway. What's your mommy's phone number?"

* * *

Olivia stood and moved closer to the radio, as if that would help her understand the rapid-fire information streaming from multiple sources. She knew a little of the language. Enough to order food, find the right train, seem polite. She couldn't hope to follow the chaos she heard.

Ed was behind her before she could complete a thought and form a question. "What's happening?"

Roussel motioned for them to remain quiet while he listened. A few minutes passed, and Ed lost his patience.

"Captain," Ed said with an edge to his tone. "Do you have children?"

Roussel thought of his own eleven-year-old daughter.

Sensing he was on to something, Ed continued. "What would you do if your child were lost in New York City? Chinatown? Times Square?"

The French Captain remained silent. He felt compassion for the man and woman in front of him. He knew that in their position he would be frantic.

"Okay," Roussel said and pulled the couple back into his office away from the action of the squad room.

Olivia was reluctant to follow because news about the woman's house were coming in constantly. Even though she couldn't understand the chatter, she wanted to hear it.

Ed pulled her with him.

"Our officers have entered the apartment," Roussel informed.

"And?" Ed asked.

"No one was there."

Ed clinched a fist and looked for a surface to pound it into. When he felt Olivia shudder next to him, he relaxed and reminded himself that he had more to think about than his own emotions.

"Ed?" She croaked.

"That doesn't mean anything. There's no proof they were ever there."

She shook her head.

"Let's just wait and see what they find out."

Olivia took a deep breath and tried to think positively.

A sudden bang interrupted the quiet reverie, and a junior officer barged in spouting something in French. Captain Roussel seemed annoyed at first, but he quickly changed his tone.

There was a flurry of action and lots of shouting around the room. Olivia knew it was something important, but they weren't telling them anything.

The activity raged for several seconds. Ed and Olivia just watched each other and tried to figure out what was going on.

Roussel pulled them to the side and continued talking to his detectives. Other officers ran around looking at each other and shouting instructions.

It was chaos.

"Stop!"

The buzz in the room froze. Everyone looked to the source of the cry.

Olivia looked at Roussel. "Stop," she said more quietly. "Just tell me what's going on."

"Madam, please come with me," he said. "I believe we have found your daughter."

* * *

"Allo?" Came a man's voice over the cell phone's speaker.

Ed and Olivia sat anxiously in front of the phone in the Captain's office.

"Mommy?"

"Nicole, baby is that you?"

"Mommy! It's me!"

Olivia couldn't stop the flow of tears. "Oh baby, I'm so happy to hear your voice. Are you okay?" Ed squeezed her hand.

"Uh huh," came the answer. "I'm with Philip. He's from Brooklyn. That's where Daddy used to work."

"Hi sweetheart, it's Daddy." Ed said. "Is Noah with you?"

Silence.

Ed and Olivia leaned in closer. They could hear someone speaking in soft tones and Nicole sniffling.

"Monsieur, Madam," the man said. "Your daughter managed to escape, but your son is still with a woman called Amelia."

"We already have officers on the way," Roussel said. "Come. I will take you to your daughter."

Ed and Olivia jumped up. "We're on our way, baby." Olivia said as Roussel handed her his cell phone for the short journey.

"We can be to the church very quickly," Roussel assured.

The trio was joined by two uniformed officers as they rushed to a police van. It was lights and sirens all the way. Olivia kept talking to Nicole the whole time offering comfort and telling her that they would find Noah.

Just before they got to the neighborhood, the cell phone cut out. Olivia frantically tried to redial but couldn't get a signal back.

"Madam, we are almost there," Roussel said from the front passenger seat.

"Look," Ed said softly.

She followed Ed's gaze and saw a church at the end of the block. The main door was open, and she could see Nicole standing next to a priest and a woman. Her hand immediately went to the door handle.

"Liv," he warned. He knew it was futile to tell her to wait or be careful.

As soon as the car slowed in front of the church, Olivia opened the door and hopped out. She stumbled just a bit as Ed tried to follow her from the still moving vehicle.

"Mommy!"

Olivia took the church steps two at a time with Ed right behind her. Nicole practically leapt into her mother's arms as Olivia dropped to her knees and scooped her into a tight embrace.

"Thank God," Ed whispered as he joined them.

Olivia stroked Nicole's hair and held her so tightly Nicole almost protested. Before she could, Olivia pulled back a little and put her hands on her daughter's face. Other than her tears and a sweatshirt that was way too big, Nicole appeared to be unharmed.

Ed kissed the top of his daughter's head and pulled them both to him. Olivia pressed her cheek to his and closed her eyes in a brief moment of thanks.

Roussel and the other officers joined then, having parked the car and made their way to the little reunion. The officers immediately pulled the priest and secretary aside and started asking them questions trying to get as much information as they could as quickly as they could.

"Let's go inside," Roussel said putting a hand on Ed's shoulder. "It's cold out here."

Ed stood and picked up Nicole. Olivia was reluctant to let go even for a second, so the trio made the awkward move into the church while still holding onto each other.

* * *

The whole neighborhood was already swarming with police officers going door to door, and now that she was reunited with her parents Nicole had been able to show them the apartment building and point to the window where they'd escaped.

The family was sitting in the back of the police van outside the apartment building. Roussel insisted on driving them to the end of the block, so Nicole could show them exactly where everything happened. He said it was for their safety and because of the weather. Ed suspected it was to try to keep them contained.

It had been almost an hour since Nicole found Father Philip. If they'd been in the apartment before that, where did they go after Nicole got away?

Olivia sat holding Nicole in her lap, with Ed right behind her. The van wasn't the most comfortable, but they weren't leaving without more information. One of the police officers had given Olivia a blanket which was wrapped tightly around Nicole, her wet shoes and socks discarded on the seat beside them.

"I didn't want to leave him," Nicole said as she started to cry again. "He just kept yelling for me to run."

"Shh," Olivia tried to soothe, but she was struggling to hold herself together. She was terrified for Noah.

From what they'd been about to get from Nicole, just after the kids made it down the fire escape, Amelia showed up. Noah struggled with her and created enough of a distraction that Nicole was able to run away. The longer it took to find Noah, the more upset Nicole became.

Ed and Olivia tried to comfort her, but it was difficult. When they were both still consumed with worry for Noah.

"Nicole, you did the right thing," Ed said softly brushing a piece of hair from her face which was half buried in Liv's chest.

"Noah wanted you to get away, so you could call for help." Ed was proud of his son for looking after his sister and making sure that she was able to get to safety. He hoped that didn't cost him.

Nicole didn't answer, but her sobs slowed a bit.

"Daddy's right," Olivia added and looked at Ed with tears of her own brimming. They were both trying not to think of the potential risk in the sacrifice their son made.

"But what if they can't find him?" Nicole asked.

"They will find him," Ed said with certainty. He would accept nothing else.

Olivia looked at him again. She didn't know where he was finding the strength and confidence, but she tried to draw some of it for herself.

Ed kissed her forehead then Nicole's and pulled them both into a hug. The three of them sat quietly and tried to cope with the situation as best they could.

Suddenly, Roussel was climbing back into the van's passenger seat and barking instructions the officer who was driving. The van started to move.

"Wait," Ed said. "What's going on?"

Roussel explained that they'd searched the apartment and were bagging evidence. "The suspect's car is missing."

"Ed," Olivia said.

"We need to go back to the station," Roussel said and nodded for the driver to continue. "We have ordered road blocks and checkpoints on every main road. We can better monitor the situation from my office."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Olivia once again found herself demanding information. She hated that the language barrier made it easier for the police to discuss her son in front of her without telling her the whole story.

Nicole was sleeping on the old couch in Captain Roussel's office while the adults talked about next steps. She'd fallen asleep in the van on the way back. Olivia sat next to her stroking her hair unwilling to be more than a few feet from her at all times.

The police updated the Amber Alert, put out a description of Amelia, Noah and the woman's car, and set up road blocks. Officers were still at Amelia's apartment trying to find any clues as to where she might be headed.

"What is it?" Ed insisted stepping closer to the Captain in an attempt to intimidate. "What did they find at the apartment?"

"We found both of the children's wet jackets just as your daughter described," Roussel said.

Olivia stood and joined her husband. "And?"

"Madam," Roussel hesitated.

Ed set his jaw and leaned into the other man's space. Before he could utter his threat, Roussel held up a hand in defeat.

"They found blood on the window and the railing of the fire escape," he said.

"Oh god," Olivia said shaking her head and backing away.

 _tbc_

 _a/n: I know, I know. I'm a horrible person. But next update is basically written and just needs editing. Soooo leave a review, and I'll be quick about it._


	9. Chapter 9

" _We found both of the children_ _'_ _s wet jackets just as your daughter described,_ _"_ _Roussel said._

 _Olivia stood and joined her husband._ _"_ _And?_ _"_

" _Madam,"_ _Roussel hesitated._

 _Ed set his jaw and leaned into the other man_ _'_ _s space. Before he could utter his threat, Roussel held up a hand in defeat._

" _They found blood on the window and the railing of the fire escape,_ _"_ _he said._

" _Oh god,"_ _Olivia said shaking her head and backing away._

Ed's stomach dropped. He reached for Olivia, but she had moved just beyond his grasp.

"Liv," he said.

She was looking around the room in a daze. Before Ed could get to her, she lunged for the trash can in the corner and threw up.

He was by her side in seconds. "Liv, shh," Ed said as he rubbed her back.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and just looked at her husband. "Don't." She said as she tried to stand on shaky legs.

Ed helped her to her feet and led her to a nearby chair. He just wanted her to look at him. He didn't know what to make of this new information. Was Noah injured? Nothing Nicole had said led them or the police to believe that the woman who took them would harm him. But if Nicole wasn't hurt, it was almost certain that the blood was Noah's.

"Liv."

"Don't," she said again with a quiver in her voice. Then she looked at him, her eyes hollow and red. "Don't promise me something you can't. And don't tell me to calm down."

Ed thought he'd rather die than see that look on his wife's face. A look of pure fear and absolute pain. And there was nothing he could say or do to alleviate any of it. He felt completely helpless.

Seeing the defeat on her husband's face only made Olivia feel more desperate. This couldn't be happening to them.

"Excuse me," Roussel said softly. "I know this is a difficult time, but I think we need to wake your daughter and ask her some additional questions about what happened in the apartment. We have a specialist for children on her way."

"I can talk to her," Olivia said feeling more protective than ever before.

"Madam, I'm sure you know that it is against protocol to let a parent interview their own child." He looked to Ed for help worried that he wouldn't get any.

She started to protest, but Ed's hand on her shoulder stopped her. She knew they were right, but she wasn't about to let Nicole out of her sight.

"You can stay with her the entire time," he added. "We can conduct the interview right here in my office."

"Okay," She said and made her way to the couch to wake Nicole. "Okay," she said again with a little more steadiness in her voice.

* * *

"Nicole, what else do you remember?" The female child specialist asked. "You said the window was locked. How did you get it open?"

"Noah had to climb on a chair and unlock the top."

"Okay, good. Good. Then what happened."

"The window was heavy. It wouldn't stay open."

The woman nodded for Nicole to continue.

"Noah found an ice skate, and we put it in the window to keep it up."

"And then you climbed out the window first?"

Nicole nodded.

"So then you were on the fire escape and Noah was still inside, correct."

Another nod.

"Did Noah make it onto the fire escape, too?"

Nicole nodded again and her bottom lip started to quiver.

Olivia and Ed sat on either side of their daughter while the woman continued peppering her with questions. It was difficult to just listen, but they knew they needed to let the police do their jobs. Olivia rubbed Nicole's back and softly whispered, "It's okay, baby."

"Nicole, you said that Noah told you to go first down the stairs. Did he follow you?"

"Uh huh," Nicole said. "He was almost too big to fit through the window, but he made it and fell down."

"Was he hurt?"

Nicole looked at her mom. "I don't think so."

"Did the woman come to the window?"

"Yeah, but Noah shoved the ice skate and the window slammed. Then we ran down the stairs as fast as we could. The woman was yelling and banging on the window. It was so scary."

"I know it was very scary," the specialist said and patted Nicole's knee. "I just have a few more questions, okay?"

Ed kissed the top of her head, "Just little more, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," Nicole answered.

They wrapped up with a few more questions, but Nicole became more and more upset when she tried to describe what happened when Amelia confronted them on the sidewalk. She seemed to feel guilty that she got away. The specialist told them that was normal, which of course they knew. It didn't make it hurt any less to watch their daughter relive what had to be the most traumatic experience of her young life.

Olivia stayed with Nicole and tried to calm her while Ed stood and spoke to Roussel and the woman. It seemed that Noah must have injured himself when escaping the apartment. There wasn't a lot of blood at the scene, so they hoped it was just a minor cut and nothing more serious.

It was the growing frantic actions of Amelia that concerned the specialist the most. If she became desperate, she might become more and more erratic. No one knew what she might do next.

* * *

Noah opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He didn't know where he was, so he tried to look around. He was jostled a little and realized he must be in a car. He couldn't see though.

It took him a few seconds to determine that he was under a blanket. He pushed it off of him and saw that he was in the back seat of a car. Amelia was driving.

Nicole. The last thing he remembered was seeing her running into the church. He hoped that she found someone there to help her, but he was now scared that they wouldn't be able to find him.

"Where are you taking me?" He said startling Amelia. He sat up and looked out the window. They were on a two lane road without much traffic.

She didn't answer.

"I asked you where you're taking me?" He said a little louder.

"Nous allons a la cabane pour Noel," She answered. "Tu souviens toi?"

"I don't understand what you're saying," Noah said, confused. She spoke English before.

"Christopher, silence." She said sharply.

That he understood. "I'm not Christopher. I'm Noah."

He kept asking where they were going. She mostly ignored him except to tell him to be quiet.

He was starting to feel scared. This woman didn't seem at all the same as she had when she first helped them off the train. She seemed agitated, and she kept calling him Christopher.

He began looking around the backseat of the car to see if there was anything back there that might help him. There was heat in the car, but he was still almost shivering from the cold. Besides himself and the blanket, there was nothing in the car.

He noticed that the door was locked, but he could unlock it with a simple flip of a button. Amelia was distracted with driving, so he slowly scooted closer and closer to the door on the opposite side from her.

Next he looked out the window. They were going too fast for him to try and jump out, but they had to stop at some point. He quietly pushed the manual button on the door and unlocked it.

"What are you doing?" Amelia asked.

He jumped and looked up. She was still watching the road.

"I'm just trying to see where we're going," he said and craned his neck so he could see between the window and the front seat.

"It is not far," she said. "Just about an hour."

That made Noah realize that he didn't know how long he'd been asleep. He knew that he hit his head, but he could have been asleep for minutes or hours. He started to panic again.

"Look, I know you're sad about your son, but you have to take me back to my family," Noah pleaded. He didn't know if he should try to talk to her.

She didn't answer him, so he kept talking.

"My parents are both cops. They work for the NYPD."

She glanced at him in the rear view mirror but still said nothing.

"They won't stop looking for me."

When she still didn't answer him he started to panic again. He wasn't getting through to her at all. He had to get out of this car.

* * *

"We believe that she may be headed to a cabin near La Loupe," Roussel was explaining. It had been over two hours since they'd found Nicole, and there was still no sign of Noah and Amelia.

"Where is that?" Ed asked.

"It is about two hours south and west. We already have a unit on the way there and we have alerted the PNR Perche security and local police in Chartres."

Ed and Olivia had no idea what places he was talking about, but it seemed they had notified the necessary local authorities. It was agony waiting.

Roussel tried to distract them by explaining that Amelia's former in-laws owned a cabin in La Loupe at the regional national park, Perche. The police had put up check points at the exits from the main highways leading from Paris to La Loupe, but they suspected that Amelia may have taken an alternate route to avoid being detected.

About that they were right. Amelia had taken a route straight west and planned to overshoot La Loupe by about twenty kilometers and enter the park near La Chapelle-Montligeon before heading back east to the family cabin. It made the normally two-hour journey about three and half hours, but she thought it would help avoid detection.

It was as if part of her brain was functioning logically and helping her make decisions. That part of her also warned that this wasn't right. But another broken and grieving part of her heart was guiding her to keep going.

She finally saw the exit. Noah straightened in the back seat and started paying close attention to the road ahead. Now that they were getting off the highway, he might have a chance to jump out of the car if they stopped at light or something.

They were driving through a small town and traffic caused them to slow down considerably. He was frustrated because instead of stop signs, this town only seemed to have traffic circles. So far they weren't stopping.

It was several miles before Noah saw his chance. Just ahead there was an intersection with a stop sign. Amelia was nervously looking around and tapping on the steering wheel. She didn't like the visibility, but the yucky weather seemed to be keeping most people off the street.

Seeing that Amelia wasn't looking at him, Noah prepared to make his escape. He checked the door again to make sure it was unlocked. He kept the blanket in his lap so his hands were hidden from view. As soon as the car started to slow down, he took a deep breath and shoved the door open and jumped out.

He didn't even bother to close the door. He just ran for the closest row buildings to his right. He heard Amelia shout something, but he didn't look back.

* * *

Noah burst through the door of the store and looked around for someone who might be able to help him. There was a small counter to the left of the door where an elderly woman was watching what looked like the news on a small television. There didn't seem to be any customers in the little shop that looked kind of like a New York bodega.

"Please ma'am, I need your help," Noah said a bit out of breath as he approached the counter.

"Mon enfant, ou est tes parents?" The woman asked.

"Please you have to hurry, she might be coming." Noah said as he looked back toward the door half expecting to see Amelia.

"Je parle pas anglais," she began and then rattled off more in French as she looked at the door.

"I need you to call the police," Noah said ignoring the fact that the woman clearly didn't speak English.

"Call police?" She said. That word was basically the same in both languages.

"Yes, yes," he said. "Please call the police."

Just then a frazzled Amelia came rushing into the store.

Noah froze.

"Christopher!" She shouted and headed over to him. "Oh mon dieu!"

She started talking to the shop lady in rapid French. The older woman nodded and said something back to Amelia.

Noah started backing away from Amelia and tried to get behind the counter, but the shop lady stood and said something to him gesturing at Amelia.

He didn't understand anything the two women were saying, but she did hear "maman" which sounded like mama.

"No, no, no," he said shaking his head at the old lady. "She's not my mother. I'm an American. She's…she's not right." He almost said she was crazy, but his mom taught him that wasn't nice. He couldn't believe that's what he was thinking about right now.

The old woman seemed to consider his words even though she couldn't understand them. She started asking Amelia some questions. Noah didn't know it, but the shop lady had realized that something was indeed wrong.

It was obvious the boy was American and the woman was French. Amelia tried to say that the boy's father was American, but the boy seemed truly frightened. And her rudimentary knowledge of English made her pretty certain that he was insisting that this woman was not his mother.

Amelia reached for Noah. "Christopher, let's go."

"I'm not Christopher!" He pulled away from her. Then he looked at the old woman. "I'm Noah, please help me."

He was looking around to see if there was anyone else coming into the store. That was when he noticed it. His picture was on the news.

He pointed to the television. "That's me, see!"

The two women followed his direction. The older woman gasped when she saw the Alert Enlèvement on the screen. It showed Amelia and Noah's picture and had a description of an old blue Renault and a license plate number.

"Oh mon enfant, mon garçon," the old woman said. "François! François!"

"Marguerite?" A man's voice called from a back room. "Tout va bien?"

"François, appelle la police!" Marguerite yelled.

That got his attention and Amelia's who took off out the door leaving Noah behind. François, Marguerite's husband, came rushing to the front of the store.

The couple spoke excitedly as she explained what had happened. Noah watched anxiously as she pointed to the TV, presumably telling her husband about the Amber Alert.

Noah was so relieved that Amelia was gone and that this couple seemed to know he needed help he wasn't even bothered anymore by the fact that he couldn't understand a word they were saying. The man stepped past him and went around the counter and grabbed a cell phone that was under the cash register.

"Call police," he said to Noah pointing to the phone.

"Thank you," Noah said. "I mean, merci."

Marguerite smiled and patted his shoulder. She said something to him and pointed to the opposite corner. There was a small table with two chairs. He went to sit in one of them.

She nodded to encourage him to take a seat as she headed to the back of the store. He turned his attention back to François who was now talking to someone on the phone.

Marguerite soon reappeared with a cup of steaming hot cocoa. "Chocolat," she said with a smile as she slid the cup to him.

He took a sip and smiled back. It was the best hot chocolate he'd ever had.

"Merci," he said. That was the only French word he could remember at the moment, but it was one he truly meant.

a/n: hopefully this redeems me somewhat ;) Next up, will Noah finally be reunited with his family?


	10. Chapter 10

_Marguerite soon reappeared with a cup of steaming hot cocoa. "Chocolat," she said with a smile as she slid the cup to Noah._

 _He took a sip and smiled back. It was the best hot chocolate he'd ever had._

 _"Merci," he said. That was the only French word he could remember at the moment, but it was one he truly meant._

"Monsieur Ed!" Roussel said as he barreled through the door of his own office. "We have located your son. He is okay!"

Ed jumped to his feet. "You found him?"

"Yes, yes. He is at Verneuil-sur Avre."

Ed didn't have a clue what or where that was. But he didn't care. Noah was okay. The police knew where he was.

He started looking around the room. Olivia had taken Nicole to the restroom just a few minutes ago, and they're weren't back yet.

Ed thanked Roussel and started out of the office to find Olivia. He knew she'd be back in a matter of minutes, but he couldn't wait. He was so relieved, so thankful, so anxious to reunite his whole family.

Roussel followed him explaining that the boy had escaped from the kidnapper's car and was with a shop owner and his wife awaiting the local police who would coordinate a rendezvous. Ed was barely listening. He was so overwhelmed he didn't even realize that tears were rolling down his cheeks.

"Ed?"

He looked in the direction of Olivia's voice. She gasped when she saw his tears.

Realizing that she misunderstood his emotion he shook his head and flashed the biggest smile he'd had all day. "They found him. He's okay." He said as he closed the distance between them.

"He's okay?" She asked again not sure if she could believe it.

"They got Noah?" Nicole asked.

Ed picked her up and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, sweetheart, they did!"

"Is he okay?" she asked with a serious face.

"He's okay," Ed said to his daughter, then he looked at Olivia. "He's okay."

Olivia almost collapsed into Ed half squishing Nicole between them. Ed rested his forehead against hers. They both just took a few breaths and let the news sink in. It was a short lived moment. Olivia was suddenly full of questions. Where was he? Where was the woman who took him? Was he really okay?

Knowing that the couple wouldn't rest until their son was back in front of them, Roussel suggested they take a police van and head toward Noah's location. It would take a lot longer if they waited for Noah to be brought to them.

Ed immediately agreed. It was going to be the longest two-hour car ride of their lives, but at least they knew their son was safe, finally safe.

Once they were on the highway, Roussel directed the officer who was driving to use lights and sirens to speed their progress. Then he excused himself to make a few phone calls.

* * *

Back at the shop, Noah sat with Marguerite and Francois. It was a little awkward because they could barely communicate, but Noah understood that the police were on their way. He didn't know how long to expect, they seemed to be out in the country in a very small town.

As it turned out the nearest police officer was about 20 minutes away. Francois had hung up with the police and then called his nephew, Gerard. His nephew spoke English and worked at a school just down the street. The younger man arrived in a few minutes, and spoke quickly to his aunt and uncle before turning to Noah.

"Hello, Noah. I'm Gerard." The man wasn't very tall and had dark hair. He explained who he was and filled him in on what he knew so far.

"Are you okay? Can you tell me what happened?"

Noah told him a shortened version about getting separated from his parents on the train and ending up in the car. "Do you know if my sister is okay?"

"Your sister?" Gerard asked, confused. His uncle had said there was only the boy.

"My sister was with me in Paris, but she got away before Amelia got me in the car." Noah bit his lip. "I don't know if she made it somewhere safe or not."

Gerard saw the kid was obviously upset and worried about his sister. He patted Noah on the arm. "I'm sure she is okay. If her picture wasn't on the alert with yours, that probably means she has already been found."

Noah hoped the man was right. He reached for the cup of hot chocolate again, and almost dropped it when Marguerite called out.

He looked at her in confusion as she muttered in French and took the cup from him. Then he saw that she was pointing at his left hand which was covered in dried blood. In the earlier excitement it had gone unnoticed.

Marguerite pulled up his sleeve. There was a gash on hand that went all the way past his wrist. There was dried blood all around the cut and his sleeve. He vaguely remembered a stab of pain when he pushed the ice skate out of the window at Amelia's apartment, but in the chaos that ensued, he never paid attention to it.

The old woman jumped up and took Noah's other hand. Gerard followed and translated for the two. There was a restroom in the back where he could wash his hands, and the woman could get a first aid kit.

A little while later, Noah's hand was bandaged up, and he had a fresh cup of hot cocoa in front of him. It wasn't long before a few others from the town showed up. Apparently word traveled fast in small towns everywhere. People were shocked to learn that such a high profile case had ended in their town, and they wanted to see for themselves.

Noah was a little embarrassed by the attention, but he didn't mind the treats that a few of the people brought. One woman gave him a cookie shaped like a star. Another gave him two caramel candies. Yet another gave him a chocolate bar. Most of the people didn't speak much English, but Gerard helped out when necessary. Usually it wasn't, kindness didn't need translation.

It wasn't long before a policeman arrived and sent the townspeople packing. Many hung around outside the store or in the coffee shop next door.

The policeman explained that his parents had been notified and they were on their way. At first, they'd planned to take Noah to the police station at a larger neighboring town, but it was in the opposite direction from Paris and would just delay reuniting Noah with his family. They opted to stay at the little shop, much to Marguerite's delight. She'd taken to the boy and wanted to stay with him until his family arrived.

The policeman saw an empty wooden crate near the window next to the table. He turned it on its side and sat down.

"I need to ask you a few questions," he began pulling out a little notepad. "About the woman who brought you here."

"Okay," Noah said. He tried to remember everything and answer with as much detail as he could. They spoke for several minutes before the policeman stepped away to phone in some of the details Noah had provided.

There was no way to know how Amelia would have reacted to Noah's escape, so officers were still waiting at the cabin, police in Paris were watching her apartment, and there was still a watch out for her car.

Noah hoped that he'd been able to give them something, so they could find Amelia. She needed help or jail or something. While he was trying to figure out what he thought should happen to his abductor, Noah's stomach growled, and he eyed the goodies he'd been given.

"Tsk, tsk," Marguerite said. Then she continued in French.

"She says you should eat something better before dessert," Gerard said with a smirk. "But I think the cookie would be okay."

Noah grabbed the cookie and took a bite. The old woman just muttered something under her breath and went to the door.

"She's going to get you a proper meal," Gerard said. "I hope you're hungry."

Having finished the cookie in three bites, Noah didn't doubt he could eat more. He hadn't had anything since breakfast, and it was already dark outside.

As Gerard had guessed, Marguerite reappeared about ten minutes later with a bag of food from next door. Marguerite and the coffee shop owner had been friends since grade school, so the food was probably free.

There was a baguette, a couple kinds of cheese, some kind of salami, a cup of soup, some little sauces that Noah didn't recognize. Noah wasn't too picky when it came to food. At this point he probably would have eaten anything.

Marguerite kept apologizing that she didn't have a cooked meal, but Noah just smile and said "merci". The food was pretty good. He didn't like one of the cheeses, and the little sauces weren't his thing, but everything else was good.

* * *

"How much longer?" Olivia asked Roussel for the third time in the past half hour.

"Not long," Roussel said. "Just a quarter hour at most."

Ed smiled at the man and gave him a slight nod of thanks for his patience. The Captain smiled in return. In truth he was relieved that this had worked out so quickly and relatively easily. In child abduction cases time was so critical.

In the front seat, the officer turned off the sirens as he exited the highway. He left the lights going.

Once again, Olivia was chomping at the bit to get out of the car. That left Ed to rouse a now sleeping Nicole.

"Madam," Roussel cautioned. "We are almost there. Just a few more minutes."

The car pulled to a stop. Olivia pulled on the door, but it was locked. Roussel clicked a button to release the door and hurried to get out as well. He quickly scanned the street and identified the shop where Noah was waiting. He pointed Olivia in the right direction and looked to see Ed lifting Nicole from the back of the cruiser.

Ed saw Olivia jogging the few steps toward an inconspicuous shop. He stopped when he saw the figure in the window.

Noah. He was laughing and eating what looked like a piece of bread. There was a man in a police uniform standing in the corner, and older couple sitting at the table and another middle aged man talking to Noah. Ed's heart felt whole again for the first time since this morning.

"Daddy?" Nicole said with a little sleep still in her voice. "Did we find Noah?"

"Yeah baby," he said and kissed her cheek. "We did. Look."

She looked in the direction her dad was looking. Then she was scrambling to get down.

"Noah!" She squealed and took off after her mother.

Noah looked up when he heard the door jingle as it opened. It was as if he knew it would be her.

"Mom!" he dropped the bread he was holding and ran to her.

"Noah, Noah, Noah," she repeated over and over as she grabbed him and pulled him close.

Then she did the same as she'd done to Nicole, she crouched down and ran her hands over his face and shoulders checking for injuries. She knew he'd been hurt, but there wasn't anything obvious.

"Just a little cut on my hand," Noah said holding up his arm. "I'm okay."

She took his bandaged hand in hers and kissed the inside of his palm. "Oh baby, I'm just so happy you're safe." She pulled him back into a tight hug and let her tears of joy and relief continue to fall.

Before she could say another word, the pair was almost tackled by an exuberant Nicole. Olivia had to drop one of her knees to the ground to keep from toppling over.

"Noah!" Nicole shouted throwing her arms around him. "They finded you!"

"Nicole!" He said. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was so scared for you."

Roussel went to speak to the other officer while Ed joined his family. Ed couldn't stop the tears that once again rolled down his cheeks. This morning, they'd been a happy family at breakfast. Then they'd endured almost nine hours of hell. He couldn't even let himself think what could have happened. But now here they were, reunited and safe.

"Dad," Noah said. He eased out of Nicole's grip when he saw his father approaching. He was speechless when he saw his dad's tears. He didn't remember seeing his dad cry. Ever.

"Noah," Ed croaked and kissed the top of his son's head before hugging him tightly.

"I'm okay, Dad," Noah said.

Ed didn't say anything at first, he just nodded and squeezed him a little tighter while he tried to compose himself. "I'm so proud of you," Ed finally said when he eased his embrace and looked his son in the eye. "You protected your sister. You got yourself to safety. You're a brave, brave young man."

"I just tried to think what you would do," Noah said matter-of-factly.

Watching the interaction and hearing her son's words caused a fresh flow of tears from Olivia. The day had certainly taken its toll on all of them.

After giving the family some private time, the police officers returned and explained that they'd need an official statement from Noah as soon as possible. And they wanted to get the family back to Paris before it got too late.

Olivia thanked Marguerite for looking after Noah these past couple of hours. The older woman smiled and patted Olivia's cheek while going on and on in French about what a wonderful boy Noah was and what a sweet family they all were. Gerard translated loosely.

It took almost an hour to get everything organized and square up with the regional police. It was after 8pm when they were finally ready to get back into the police van and head back to Paris.

By now a crowd had reformed outside the little shop as town's people saw the flashing lights and came to watch the little reunion. The Tucker's were oblivious until they stepped outside and the crowd erupted in applause.

Ed looked at Roussel for an explanation. The Captain just shrugged and smiled. This was big news for the small town.

Nicole ate up the attention and even waved at the small crowd. Noah was oblivious. Olivia nodded her appreciation for the support, and Ed just tried to usher the family to the car.

* * *

At Ed's insistence, Roussel conducted the initial interview with Noah in the car on the way back to Paris. They agreed to bring him to the police station for any follow up the next morning, but now, Ed wanted them back at the hotel away from the police, away from the reminders of how terrible the day had been.

Olivia found herself fighting tears as she listened to Noah rehash the details of the ordeal. He was pretty sober about it. He expressed some guilt for going with the woman in the first place, but both the police and his parents assured him that it wasn't his fault. He seemed to accept their reassurances easily.

In fact, both Noah and Nicole seemed to be taking things in stride so far. Olivia wasn't. She was overwhelmed by the need to be in almost constant physical contact with them both. She didn't want to go back to their hotel. She wanted them home at their apartment in New York tucked safely in their beds. She wanted to go back to a time before any of this happened, before they were touched by the worst fear she'd ever known.

Ed kept a hand on her back for the whole two-hour drive. It was as much to ease his own mind as it was to comfort her. The small connection reminding them both that in the end everything had worked out okay. The kids were basically unharmed, and they were safe and back where they belonged.

They made good time and were dropped off at their hotel by 10:30pm. Ed hung back and made arrangements for them to return to the police station the next day. Roussel promised to keep them updated on the pursuit of Amelia who still hadn't been found.

After thanking the man once again, Ed jogged to catch up with his family in the hotel lobby. The exhausted group shuffled onto the small elevator and headed to the quiet of their suite.

"Can I take a shower?" Noah asked.

"Sure," Olivia answered. "Just be careful with your hand."

"Okay," he said already making his way to the bathroom. He wanted to get out of the stranger's clothes and try to warm up the chill that had settled into him from the moment they left the train station with Amelia.

"Nicole, do you want a bath?" Olivia asked. "Or do you want your jammies?"

"Bath," she said. Olivia smiled expecting her to copy her brother's actions.

It was almost midnight before they got everyone settled into bed. Olivia announced that they were all sleeping in their king sized bed tonight much to Nicole's delight. Ed agreed only because he knew it was the only way Olivia would sleep. Noah didn't protest, but he didn't seem overly thrilled with the idea.

"Just for tonight," Olivia said as she scooted Nicole in between her and Ed and made room for Noah on her other side. "I need you both close by tonight."

"It's okay, Mom," Noah said. "I think we all want that tonight."

a/n: OMG they're finally reunited! Now, how are they gonna cope, and will they ever find Amelia?


End file.
